Pokémon The Adventures of Lyla
by ashketchumfangurl
Summary: This story follows the Adventures of Lyla, A rising pokémon trainer. There are many surpises in her journey. Will she achieve her goals, or will things go wrong along the way? COMPLETED!
1. Chapter 1

Pokémon- The Adventures of Lyla.

_**Chapter 1- I make a new friend.**_

_2nd February 1999_

_The Daily Catch_

_FREAK CAR ACCIDENT KILLS TWO PALLET TOWN RESIDENTS_

_The freak road accident that took place earlier today took the lives of many people. It even took a young couple from our home-town's lives, leaving there baby girl orphaned. It was truly a tragic day, a vigil will be held for all the lives lost..._

Four Years Later...

"Come on everyone! Lets all pretend we're Ponyta! Come on!"

"Yeah! Lets all join in!"

"Well...not all of us...right?"

"Yeah, but she can't stay hidden up here forever! Hey kid! You coming or what?"

I shuddered, shaking my head fearfully. The other girls around me started to protest, saying all sorts of terrible words I dare not repeat. "Come on, lets just go! This kid isn't coming any time soon!"The group of girls ran out of the room, doing their own impressions of a Ponyta, making up whole new species as they went. I curled up into a tight ball at the corner of the room, squeezing the life out of a small plush of a blue cat pokémon. I had no idea what pokémon it was, but all I knew was that it had been with me when I was placed into Pallet Town's Home for Girls. Being a five year old, scared of everyone that came my way, and by far the youngest girl there, I had no friends. I could feel myself shaking, what had ever made me so scared? Teenagers bullying me or my lack of being in the outside world and playing with children my age.

"I wish...I wish...I-I wish someone would play with me and not bully me!"I yelled nervously.

"Pikachu use Thunder...attack!"yelled a voice from outside the walls of the room.

"Huh?"I mumbled. Reluctantly, I stood up and crept over to the window, going up onto my tip-toes to get a better look. All I saw was a little boy playing on the grass outside, nothing overly threatening. I ran out of the bedroom, leaving the door wide open, if anyone got blamed for it, I'd have to make sure I was out of the house so any fingers pointing wouldn't be pointing at me. I shuffled down the stairs, trying not to make a sound, not even the lady who ran the house was very nice to me, and if she caught me making my great escape I'd be asked to wash everyone's dishes, which was a horrific task. I heard the hysteric giggling of playing girls and the clattering of furniture. I grumbled. I didn't know why other girls got so hyperactive over nothing. I hurried past _that_ room and headed for the front door. The handle was just within my reach, and I grabbed it and pulled it door. The door was never locked, at least not in the daytime, in case any people came to look for a child that they wanted to take home. As I opened the door, the warm late summer breeze hit me.

"Pikachu, good job, we beat the back guys!"

The little boy was still sat on the grass, bouncing the yellow plush around wildly. He had crazy black hair and mischievous brown eyes. He mumbled and made up his own sound effects, clearly having a good time.

"Erm...hi..." I whispered nervously.

He looked up immediately, a friendly smile spreading across his face, "Hiya girly!"

"What you playing?"I asked curiously, giving him a little smile in return.

"Dunno, but it sure is fun!"he said innocently, "Wanna play with me?"

I felt a huge grin of pleasure spread across my face, "Yeah!"

He beckoned me over and I sat down next to him, revealing my plush of the blue cat pokémon. When he saw it, he looked puzzled, "Who's that pokémon?"

"Dunno..."

"Oh, okay. Well what's your name anyway girly?"

"Lyla..."I mumbled shyly, "What's yours?"

"Me? I'm Ash Ketchum! I gonna be the bestest Pokémon Master ever! I'm gonna have a Charizard and a Pikachu, and maybe a Blasturtle!"he proclaimed proudly. I giggled, what's a Blasturtle? I knew had he meant a Blastoise but I didn't want to disturb his moment of triumph.

"Okay! Why don't we play now, Mr. Bestest Pokémon Master!"I said excitedly. The little black haired boy nodded happily.

We spent many happy hours playing on the grass outside the Orphanage, each taking it in turns to make up moves that we thought our pokémon of the future would be able to use. I returned into the house with a huge smile on my face, much to all the other girls surprise.

"Hey what's she smiling at?"

"Yeah she never smiles!"

"Hey little girl? What you grinning for?"

"Erm..."I mumbled. I hadn't realised how nice it was to be able to be myself with someone. I owed the smile on my face, to practically a complete stranger. I owed it to a little boy named Ash Ketchum.

END OF CHAPTER ONE...


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2-The Guy in the Suit** _

Ash and I were now really good friends, playing with each other nearly every day. Him and his Pikachu plush, me and my blue cat plush, where all enjoying each others company. Some days I would sit on the porch to wait for him, and other days he'd plonk himself on his favourite spot in the grass to wait for me. I hadn't told anyone else about our friendship, I was still too scared of them and I didn't trust them. They had asked what was up with me a few times, but after a few weeks the questions died down and I was left to do as I pleased. It all seemed great. Making a friend and not being afraid to talk to someone for a change. Being happy and not being afraid to go outside. A life I could have gotten used to. But one day, that was all crushed.

"Pikachu Thunder Smash!"That was my indicator that Ash was outside. I crept downstairs and towards the front door, only for a hand to grab me back,"Ah! There you are Lyla! Come on, into my office and make it snappy."

"But!"I protested.

"Now!"said the stern middle-aged woman.

She grabbed my wrist and dragged me away from the front door, down the corridor and to her dimly lighted office. She lowered down an old office chair to my height and pushed me onto it,"Stay!" she commanded, what was I to her? Some kind of sniffling dog pokemon? I rubbed my wrist that was now bright pink and throbbing. I even felt a little tear trickling down my cheek, but wiped it away quickly. I had been sent to her office. It meant that I was in trouble, or that someone had come to take me out of here, neither of which I liked the idea of. She came back accompanied by a man I'd never seen before. He put on a smile, although his eyebrows were stuck in frowning position, suggesting he was angry a lot or he was just a serious person. I stared at the ground as they had a whispered conversation.

"Are you sure you want _this_ one?"

"Yes, this one will do just fine."

"Well, it's your own fault for choosing her if she's useless. She's scared of everything and hardly says a word."

"Yes...but where she's going, we'll drum that silly nonsense out of her in no time, you'll see!"

"Fine."snarled the woman, turning to me, "This kind man is going to take you to your new home! This is Mr. Giovanni, be nice and say hello."

"H-hello..."I said in a voice that was hardly audible.

"There's no time for friendly greetings, we must be off!"said Giovanni, "Does she have anything to pack?"he asked.

"No, this is all she has, a plush and an old nightgown."

"Fine, let us be off child!"Giovanni said, thrusting a hand towards me. I held out my own shaky hand towards his. This shady character was not to be trusted, I hated the idea of having to go with him. I would have hated the idea of staying here a few weeks ago. But now I had a friend, I had a reason to want to stay. I was practically dragged out of the house and thrown into a car parked outside. The back windows were shaded both inside and out, leaving me in the dark once again. I pulled the belt on and curled up into a frightened ball on the seat. The car drove away from Pallet Town. Tears started to stream down my face. Would I be all alone again? Would they take away my beloved plush? Would I ever see my friend Ash again?

"Girl, what are you crying for?"Giovanni asked.

"N-nothing..."

"Then stop it, there is no room for scared little crybabies in my Team. Girl...tell me your name!"

"M-my names Lyla..."

"Lyla then... I'm sure your little friend is going to miss you and you are going to miss him. But one day, perhaps, you might meet him again. Maybe...not under friendly circumstances..."he trailed off, "Promise me you'll train hard and I promise you that you'll see him again, what do you say gir...I mean Lyla...?"

See him again? That sounded good, "Okay...I promise..."

"Excellent, we'll make a fine Team Rocket agent of you yet!"

What's Team Rocket? I thought to myself. Whatever it was, it didn't sound good. I wanted desperately to ask him what it was, but I had a feeling that this man did not enjoy being asked questions. He was wearing a posh, expensive looking black suit. A piercingly evil grin was pasted onto his face, his eyes switching from the road to me from time to time in the rear view mirror. I hugged my plush tightly, closing my eyes, as I was taken away to Team Rocket.

**END OF CHAPTER TWO...**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3- Into Team Rocket**_

"In you go!"

"Wah!" I yelped as I was thrown into yet another dark room.

"Now then, lets get down to business,"said Giovanni. "First of all, welcome to Team Rocket, your new home. Your training will start in a few days, so that will give you time to get used to your new surroundings."

"W-what?"I said. He was speaking in a hurried tone, so I hadn't quite caught what he said.

"Oh never mind...you'll find out soon enough..."he said, bringing a palm to his forehead,"James! Jessie! Get in here you useless teenagers!"

"YESSIR!"A yell came from outside, and a boy and a girl came running. "What can we do for you boss?"said the boy, who I presumed to be James. The girl, Jessie, was staring at me with angry blue eyes. I met her gaze and she turned away, looking up at her Boss. " Right you two, this is Lyla, she's a new recruit, I want you to take her to her room and help her to settle in, got it. Oh, and if you don't I'll make sure you don't have any breaks between training!"Giovanni growled viciously. They both nodded and James came over to me, "Hi! First days are a little scary aren't they! Come on,"he said holding out a gloved hand to me. I looked into his green eyes, and he smiled and nodded. I took his hand and we walked out of the room.

"Babysitting? And were not even getting paid!"grumbled Jessie when we were out of Giovanni's hearing range. I moved closer to James, who frowned at Jessie, sharing silent conversation with the angry teenager. Jessie looked at me again and then to James. "Jessie, we don't get paid anyway..."he said, smiling. Jessie grumbled, and stomped along beside us in silence for the rest of the way. They led me to my room, that had a bed, a bathroom, and a wardrobe. Jessie whispered something to James, and he glared at her angrily, "Oh...so now you want to lose your breaks between training, huh? And besides, weren't you scared on your first day?"

"A little I guess..."said Jessie, not meeting James' gaze. I sat down on the bed, and James did as well,"So...Lyla, you scared?"I nodded my head, not looking at him. He sighed, and he put his arm around me comfortingly,"Hey, its okay! Everyone is when they first arrive. I know I was!"he said cheerily. I smiled a little.

"But you a big boy...you didn't look scared of the boss man..."I said.

"Well...maybe not now, but when I first arrived he looked as scary as an angry Charizard."James said. I giggled, and he laughed as well. Jessie was not impressed at all, muttering something under her breath. James looked down at me, a friendly smile spreading across his face, his green eyes lighting up,"So, are me and you pals?"I nodded eagerly.

"Oh please..."Jessie grumbled.

James paid her no attention,"Okay then, come to me whenever you need too. I promise I'll be there when you need me, okay?"I nodded shyly, and within a few minutes they were gone. It was probably only around noon, but I crawled under the covers and slept. For many days I just slept and sat on the bed, disturbed by no one, except the odd Grunt that brought me my meals. After about a week, James and Jessie knocked on the door. "Hello? Lyla, we've got a little surprise for you."I heard James saying, and I picked up my plush, and unlocked the door. Jessie looked her usual angry self, but James was smiling, "Come on,"he held out his hand again, and I took it. They led me to a dark room, a Grunt was there, holding a briefcase. I hid behind James and he patted my head, "It's okay, in fact, its better than okay, I think your really going to like this."

"You want this or what, I ain't got all day, some of us have actually got work to do!"the Grunt said, irritated.

"Okay, okay...open it up!"James said coolly.

The Grunt mumbled something to himself, and opened the briefcase, producing a red and white ball. A pokéball, I'd seen one of those when Ash and I had been playing, and a trainer walked past, a kind smile on their face. Ash. I'd tried not to think of him, playing all alone outside, it made me upset. I looked at the ground, quickly wiping a tear from my eye. James took the pokéball from the briefcase and thanked the angry Grunt, who scurried off down the corridor. James handed me the pokéball, "Here, this is for you. All you have to do is throw it up into the air, your new friend will come out and say hello."I looked down at the little sphere in my hand, _New friend?_ I thought. I threw it up into the air, not too hard though, and awaited my new friends appearance. The pokémon that came out was pretty small, the fur on its upper body was blue, and lower body was a dark shade of grey. It had amber eyes, a little smile on spread across its face.

"Shinx!"it said. I couldn't believe my eyes, the pokémon that stood before me was the exact match of my plush, and James gave me a little nudge towards it, "Its okay, he doesn't bite, I promise. His names Shinx, I picked him out for you myself."he said proudly.

"Shinx..."I said. The pokémon responded to his name and came over immediately, rubbing his head against the back of palm affectionately. I stroked him and he purred friendlily, "Shi Shinx!"

I giggled, and James folded his arms, "See Jessie...she loves him and he loves her back. A perfect match. And you wanted to give her the Charizard! Ha!"Jessie's cheeks turned a bright shade of red and she looked as if she were about to explode. James waved a finger at her teasingly, "Nope, your not going to strangle me again, remember what the boss said, we have to work as a team and not kill each other."Jessie counted to ten and took a deep breath, and I chuckled. Shinx joined in, rolling around on the floor, his eyes closed tightly, yowling a high-pitched laughing sound. Jessie shook her fist at the little pokémon, "I might not kill _you_ James, but if that blue thing laughs at me again, I might not be able to stop myself." I heaved Shinx up and placed him onto all-fours, giving him a warning glance. He nodded and sat down, not making another sound. James grinned, "Okay, we've got training to do Jessie, I'll take Lyla and Shinx back to their room and catch up with you."

"Fine."Jessie said, storming off.

"What's up with her?"I finally had the courage to say.

"Oh nothing, she's always been like that."

"Oh..."I said, "How long have you known her?"

"Long enough, "James said with a grin, "But don't worry, she's not as bad or as angry as she makes out."

"Okay,"I said. We walked up to the door of my bedroom and he said goodbye, leaving me with Shinx, my very first pokémon.

END OF CHAPTER THREE


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4- Illegal Training_

_**2 Years Later...**_

"Shinx, get back here! No silly, you can't go in there!"

"Shi Shinx!"

"Okay, maybe your not _that_ silly..."I said, laughing. Shinx protested with another angry yowl, giving me his 'not impressed' face. I scooped him up and tickled him behind the ears. He let out a satisfied purr, "Come on, we have to go and find James, he said something about training to me the other day."I said. I let Shinx climb onto my shoulder and carried on walking down the long maze of corridors, saying hello to everyone that passed. I'd been in Team Rocket for more than two years now and knew my way round the whole facility. I knew exactly which rooms to avoid and which people I could trust. I was in a particularly good mood today, and not even the sight of the boss made me feel down. I even felt compelled to say hi to him, but I didn't. You don't talk to the boss without him talking to you first, that was a well known fact, and if you did there was always some kind of punishment. I made my way to the training hall. I _had_ hoped that I was going to have a free day, all my training sessions were through the week, and today was a Saturday.

"Ah, there you are, I was beginning to worry that you had gotten lost or something."said James.

"Sorry I took so long, see, Shinx likes taking detours, don't you buddy,"I said, stroking the pokémon on my shoulder. James smiled, his green eyes glinting happily.

"So, how do you feel about training Shinx up a bit?"James asked.

"|But, you can't start training pokémon till you're te..."James put his finger on my lips to silence me.

"Well, in Team Rocket, we do things a little differently."he said in a hushed tone. I nodded, still not convinced. Shinx on the other hand looked really excited, letting a few sparks escape his body. I had found out that he was on electric type pokémon the hard way, when he lost his temper with the the door, and zapped me accidentally. James grinned, "See, he's excited, lets get you some help shall we? MEOWTH!"he yelled. An annoyed looking Meowth strolled over to us.

"Meowth James, you do know dis is my lunch hour, right? I sure hope dis kid is worth it!"the pokémon growled.

"Hey! I am worth it! You're just a...a...a... YOU CAN TALK?"I yelled, jumping back a little. Shinx chuckled, giving me a look that told me I was being stupid.

"Yer... I can talk kid... what of it?"the cat pokémon growled. James dragged mouth aside and had a whispered conversation with him, changing its attitude immediately. Meowth summoned Shinx over to him and asked him whether he'd had experience using any moves before. Shinx nodded, and mewled his name repeatedly. Meowth placed a paw on his chin, nodding its head. I stood there and got a little bored, so I watched two low ranking field agents battling with each other. Their pokémon looked pretty strong, and they were certainly well trained.

"Okay kid, listen good, your Shinx says he's used Spark before, but he also knows Tackle, Bite and Tail Whip."Meowth said, bringing me back to my own training session. _Tail Whip?_ I moaned in my head. Not the most effective move, at least from what I'd seen. _I mean... Shinx is great, but why can't he know something like Iron Tail?_ Not wanting to look dis-heartened, I put a determined look on my face, "Alright then!"I said, "Meowth, how do you feel about battling me and Shinx?" Shinx nodded eagerly, a mischievous glint in his amber eyes. Meowth didn't seem to be fazed by the sudden request, "Sure, if yer think yer can beat me!" I exchanged a confident nod with Shinx, and then nodded to Meowth.

"Okay! I'm ready!"growled Meowth.

"Alright, go Shinx!"I yelled.

"Shinx!"Shinx growled, jumping in front of me. Meowth unsheathed his claws and beckoned for me to go first. I thought for a moment. Meowth was in a defensive position, and Shinx needed experience using all of his moves. "Okay Shinx, lets try a Tail Whip!"I told Shinx. Shinx nodded running up to Meowth and hitting his feet with his tail. Meowth managed to keep balance, scraping Shinx's side with his claws, "MEOWTH! Take that!"

"Shinx, you're okay, right? Good! Use Spark!"I yelled.

Shinx nodded, his fur beginning to gleam as the electricity built up inside of him. Meowth started to back away, worry swept across his face. I watched as Shinx let loose a powerful electrical blast, and Meowth's cry of pain. Meowth fell, unable to continue battling. Instead of running over to him, I stood frozen. _Is that it? _I thought, _Did I really just win that?_ Shinx looked like he was a completely different pokémon. He was still growling at Meowth, a vicious glint in his otherwise friendly eyes. A few of the other Team Rocket members were staring at Shinx in utter shock. I walked over to him and picked him up, still pondering over whether I should celebrate my victory or help Meowth up. Shinx had a serious expression on on his little face, tilting his head quizzically. "Erm... I won...?"I asked him quietly. Shinx nodded, making me feel guilty for not praising him. "Well done Shinx! That was amazing!" Shinx let out a happy purr.

"Yer...Dat _was_ amazing...But would yer please help me?"Meowth yelled.

"What? Oh sorry Meowth!"I said. Shinx clambered onto my shoulder and I ran over to Meowth, helping him up. The cat pokémon shook himself and gave me a weary look. "Are you absolutely sure that you haven't battled with him before?" I nodded and Shinx gave him an approving nod. Meowth backed away, giving me a quick wave, before scurrying off. I stroked Shinx gently.

"What d'you think he's running off for?"I asked him.

"Shi Shinx..."Shinx mewled, shrugging his shoulders.

"Ah well, it best be something good, how are we meant to train you now?"

"Shinx..."

"I can help with that if you want?"A voice came from behind me. I looked over my shoulder, it was James, he was looking a little worried, but I think he meant helping me train Shinx by battling with him. "Oh...so now your scared of Shinx too?"I asked, irritated. I felt Shinx tense up on my shoulder, and he gave James an angry growl. James shook his head, holding his hands up, "Hey, I never said I was scared of the little guy, all I asked was if you wanted help, you could ask me!"Shinx hopped off my shoulder and nodded at me. I was a bit unsure of what to do. _Trainers don't back down to battles, especially if their pokémon want to, right?_ I asked myself. James could tell I didn't want to battle him, and Shinx eventually stood down, padding back over to me and circling around my feet, rubbing his furry body up against my ankles, "Not today James, but another day maybe...okay?"

"Okay Lyla."James said, saying goodbye and scurrying of, much like Meowth had done before. Shinx looked on indifferently, as if nothing had happened.

"Come on Shinx, we're going." I said, leading the rather confused pokémon back to our room, ignoring the funny looks other Team Rocket members gave him. I myself had no idea what had been wrong with him, the evil glint in his eyes when James had challenged me. Something was wrong... but I didn't know what. _All I can do, _I thought, _Is carry on doing my best to train him..._

**END OF CHAPTER FOUR...**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5-The Great Escape**_

_**3 Years Later...**_

"Shinx, use Iron Tail!"

"Shinx!"

"Great, now use Thunderbolt!"

"SHIIIIIINX!"

"Good!"I yelled. Shinx heaved a couple of deep breaths, and grinned. I thought back to the night before, and smirked, "We are so getting outta here!"I said triumphantly. It was so easy getting around James, he and Jessie had been going out for two years, which had made him more of a pushover than he had been before they got together. He had been completely shocked by my decision. I had been planning it for so long, this place, these people, weren't going to keep me under lock and key forever.

The Night Before...

"_Y-you're sure?"_

"_Yes I am James. I need you to do this for me."  
_

"_Bu..."_

"_Oh be quiet! Just promise you won't tell anyone!"_

"_Okay...Okay..."he said, "W-when?"_

"_Tomorrow. That's when I escape, me and Shinx. We're leaving this dump!"I whispered._

"_Do you need me to help you?"James asked. I shook my head and scurried away as fast as I could._

Back to the present...

I'd already packed my bag, and was in the process of changing out of my uncomfortable Team Rocket uniform. Shinx was now lying on the bed, having a rest after practising his moves however many times. I changed into a pink t-shirt with a pikachu logo on it and pulled on a pair of knee-length shorts. I'd stolen a pair of pumps earlier, they were brand new, so once I had slipped them on I dragged the toes across the floor. The end result was perfect. A pair of now non-returnable, stolen red pumps. One of Team Rocket's tricks. _These guys have taught me too well... _I thought to myself. I pulled a cap out of my bag, along with a black permanent marker. I quickly scribbled the letter L

onto it, I was running out of time. I pulled my frizzy brown hair back into a loose ponytail, throwing the cap on. "Done!"I proclaimed. Shinx sat up and took in my new appearance. Once he had excepted the normal pokémon trainer me, he jumped onto my shoulder. I shouldered my bag and checked the clock, still time. I recalled what I had over-heard James talking about as I ran down the corridors, or rather, who. 'The Twerp' was some kid that had been giving them a hard time. They had been trying to steal his or her pokémon. I'd never steal someone's pokémon! Not just that, but I caught a few other field agents watching the news. A little girl was crying out for her pokémon. They had waved a pokéball mockingly at the screen, saying it was here with them. I'd said many bad words that day.

"Psst!"

"What the?"I whirled around straight away. It was only James. Shinx gave me a warning growl, time was running out. "James, I have to go!"

"Not before I give you these!"he held out both of his hands to me. Six Great balls, and a little bottle cap. I gave him a questioning glare. James nodded, "I took them especially for you, and the bottle cap? That's mine, but I want you to have it. It's lucky!"he said. I picked up the great balls and stuffed them into my bag hurriedly. The bottle cap on the other hand. I examined it carefully, running my finger over the letter R logo. James gave me an embarrassed smile, "I collect them. That's my favourite, now it's yours."Shinx growled again. Our time was about to run out. He also handed me a piece of paper with the main exits security code scribbled on it. I reached a hand into my bag, finding the Shinx plush. Without a second thought I pulled it out and handed it to James. He was about to object, but when my arms wrapped around him he stopped. "I'm going to miss you James..."I said. He put his arms around me as well, "You could have gone really far, you could have become the boss one day, but no, you're going to follow whatever your dream is. You want to run that by me again before you go?"

"No."

"But..."

"NO!"I yelled, "I have to go! Now!"

"Fine...good luck with finding him."

"Thanks."I said, giving him one final hug goodbye before running to the door. I entered the security code, and the door slipped open. Step One complete. Step Two? Climb over the fence. _Crap! _I thought. I hated climbing. I'd never been very good at it. To make matters worse, dozens of grunts were lurking around, patrolling down the length of the fence. Shinx batted the back of my head with his tail, "Shinx!"he said encouragingly. I stroked him, _What the hell am I doing..._ I thought. I ran towards the fence, under the cover of the various crates lying around. I reached the fence within a few seconds. Shinx hopped off my shoulder and onto the fence, climbing to the top with a few simple hops, "You make it look so easy."I told him enviously, "Right, time for me to turn into a Mankey."I said, grabbing hold of the tangle of metal and began to scale it. It wasn't as hard as I thought, scaling the fence, but when I reached the top, I realised that the wire was barbed. Shinx had jumped over it and was now waiting on the grass below, looking at me expectantly with his big amber eyes. I got one leg over the top of the barbs. _Now for the second one..._I thought. I took my bag off my shoulder and threw it down to Shinx so that it didn't get caught on the wire.

"Okay...One...Two...Three...OW!"I yelled as one of the spikes created a deep gash in my right leg. I jumped down to the ground, grabbing my bag again and running away from Team Rocket's headquarters as fast as my injured leg would carry me. Only when I was hidden in the woods did I risk sitting down and examining my leg. It was bleeding quite heavily. "Great! Just great!"Shinx let out a sympathetic purr, and began to lick the wound clean. I winced and then relaxed. It was a little better, and now that I could see it properly, it didn't look that bad, "Thanks buddy!" I said, giving him a thankful stroke behind the ears.

"You know something buddy?"

"Shinx?"

"We're out...we're out of that awful place, we can train properly, we can make new friends...I'll finally feel like a proper trainer, and you can finally be a proper pokémon!"

"Shi Shinx!"Shinx jumped onto me and rubbed his furry little face against mine. I turned him so that I had his back on my knees, and started to tickle his belly. Shinx purred delightedly, yowling his high-pitched laughter. He squirmed out of my grasp and started to tickle me with his tail.

"No Shinx!"

"Shi hi hinx!"

"No that tickles!"

"Shi Shinx!"

"Let's get going!"

Shinx nodded, and with that, we set out on our journey, away from Team Rocket, and into Kanto.

**END OF CHAPTER FIVE...**


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter Six- The Pidgey and the Primeape.**_

"Woah...its really warm today isn't it Shinx!"

"Shi...Shinx..."Shinx panted.

"I sure hope the heat isn't making the wild pokemon angry."I commented. I got out my flask and poured some water into the lid for Shinx. He lapped it up thankfully. I took a sip and looked around the open field I was sat in. Nothing but grass, and the occasional caterpie or two popping up to say hello. A flock of pidgeotto and pidgey landed a few yards away from me and Shinx and began to peck at the ground. I smiled and threw them some pokemon food,"There you go guys! Enjoy." A female pidgey hopped over to Shinx, and Shinx offered her some water. She pecked a few mouthfuls and nodded her thanks.

"So Pidgey, you going anywhere nice for summer?"

"Pidge!"she said, nodding.

"Well, it looks like your friends are about to fly away, good luck on your journey!"I said, noticing the other bird pokemon getting ready to fly off. The pidgey nodded and joined her friends, before flying off into the cloudless skies. I stood up and stretched, making the decision to put an end to our little break,"Come on Shinx. We'll head for the forest. There should be plenty of shade there." Shinx grunted a protest, and trudged along next to me, panting as we went. When we got over to the trees, I noticed an old wooden sign, reading 'Welcome to Viridian Forest'. Shinx hopped onto my shoulder, and I began to walk through the hundreds of trees, keeping an eye out for pokemon.

"Well Shinx, we're in the shade now at least."

"Shi Shinx."

"Hopefully we'll reach Viridian City before night fall. As long as we d..."

"PIDGEY!"

Shinx hopped off my shoulder and began to run ahead of me, something was wrong. I ran after him,"Shinx, wait up!"Shinx didn't wait, in fact, he sped up, yowling at me to speed up too. "I...hate...running..."I panted. Shinx stopped dead and hid behind a bush, much to my relief. I ducked down behind the bush as well.

"Woah Shinx, you can't half ru-"

"Shhhinx"he hissed, gesturing towards a small clearing in the trees. There she was. It was the Pidgey from before, and she was being cornered by a group of Primeape. Anger boiled in side of me, and I felt the urge to use my own version of Bulldoze on them. Shinx began to creep towards them and so did I, but he growled at me warningly. "I'm not letting you go over there by yourself!"I told him. He gave me his 'I can do this' face. I cursed, and he continued to creep towards the angry group of pokémon. When he was close enough, he wiggled his shoulders and pounced, landing in front of the terrified bird pokémon.

"Primeape! Primeape!"

"Shinx!"growled Shinx, moving into a more protective position.

"P-pidge..."chirped Pidgey, shuffling closer to Shinx.

_Alright! _I thought, _Let's do this thing!_ "Hey! Get away from that Pidgey you big bullies! Go pick on someone your own size!"I yelled, running out of the cover of the bush. The pokémon glared at me, and edged away from Shinx and Pidgey. Instead, they started to come towards me. _Oh...Mew..._I held my hands up in surrender, beginning to edge backwards, "H-hey! I didn't mean to call you bullies, I erm I meant to say that you're the best, yeah! The best!" The Primeape didn't listen, and one jumped at me and kicked me hard in the side.

"No please, there must be another way to sort this out!"

"Primeape! Primeape!"

"SHIIIIINX!" A huge electrical surge hit the group of pokémon. As the dazed group of Primeape hit the ground, Pidgey attacked them with Whirlwind, blowing them far away. Shinx ran up to me, his amber eyes filled with concern. He'd noticed me clutching my side. I leant against a tree and examined it. Pidgey flew off, but flapped right back again, placing some small blue berries into my hand. I gave her a questioning look, and she pointed at my side with her wing. "Oh, are you saying it'll help?" She nodded, and I began to nibble on one the the berries. The relief wasn't instant, but within ten minutes I felt my old self again. Pidgey chirped delightedly, jumping onto my shoulder and rubbing my cheek with her little feathery face. "Haha, thanks Pidgey! You wanna go find your friends?"

"Pidge..."she said reluctantly.

"Is something up?"I asked.

She shook her head, and Shinx looked at her knowingly. I exchanged a nod with him, "How would you feel, if I don't know, I let you come with me and Shinx."The little bird pokémon chirped happily, so I got out a Great Ball. I threw it up into the air and she followed, hitting it with her beak. The Great Ball sealed within a few seconds. I had caught my first pokémon in Kanto. I let her out of the pokéball almost immediately, and she chirped happily, "Pidgey!"Shinx grinned, and he nodded at me, he wanted to battle with Pidgey. "Um...okay then..."I said, "Pidgey, do you want to have a battle with Shinx?"Pidgey chirped again, nodding her head. I decided that Shinx would do fine on his own, and took up position on Pidgey's side of the clearing, "Alright guys, you ready?"

"Pidgey!"

"Shinx!"

"Okay then, Pidgey, use Gust!"Shinx was blow around a bit but not enough to stop him attacking, he growled and hit Pidgey with a Thunderbolt. She fell to the ground with a little thud and screeched. Shinx grinned, charging up for another Thunderbolt. "Hmmm...okay, Pidgey, use Acrobatics!"I said. She dodged Shinx's attack and hit him in the side, knocking him off balance. "Right, now use Gust again!"I yelled. Pidgey sent another blast of wind at Shinx, only upsetting him more. He whacked her away with his tail and she hit a tree, "Pidge!"she yelled. Shinx yowled happily, he thought he'd won. But no, Pidgey was still going, flapping around wildly. "Erm...okay Pidgey, use Wing Attack!"Pidgey dived at the unsuspecting Shinx and hit him hard with her wing, knocking him to the ground. Shinx lay there dazed, and Pidgey attacked again, "Pidgey!"she screeched.

"Shinx?"yowled Shinx.

"Woah, what's gotten in to you Pidgey?"I muttered to myself. Shinx had had enough of Pidgey's wing whacking him, and with a final Thunderbolt he knocked her out. I brought my palm to my face, "Well, Pidgey, it looks like we might have to get you a more suited training buddy..."I said as I knelt down and picked her up, "Shinx is pretty tough." Shinx held his chin up proudly, purring with pride. I stood up and looked around the forest.

"Alright then, on we go, we've gotta find a Pokémon Centre. There should be one in Viridian City." I walked straight ahead, closely followed by Shinx, and stoking the tired Pidgey in my arms. _Pokémon Centre here I come!_ I thought.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter Seven- The Boy on TV.**_

"Hey, look, he's from Pallet Town!"

"Looks like he's been doing well!"

"Yeah!"

I walked straight past the crowd and up to Nurse Joy, giving her Pidgey and telling Shinx to go with her. Nurse Joy just bowed her head,"Certainly I'll heal your pokémon, please relax for a bit and I'll call you over when I'm done."she said. I thanked her and plonked myself down on a couch alone. I looked at the group gathered round the television," Hey everyone! What's new on the TV?" I called over to them. All but one of them hissed at me to be quiet,"Oh, this kid from Pallet Town won the Indigo League and they're doing a news report dedicated to him. It's pretty good. Wanna come watch?"A boy said. I nodded, getting up and strolling over to them. I squeezed into a little gap and looked at the screen. All I saw was a Pikachu running along a path,"Is that it?"I whispered impatiently. The boy beside me smirked and whispered back, "No, just wait a minute would you?"

"We're trying to watch this!"

"Yeah girl! Your disturbing our concentration!"

"You know what...fine! I'll go wait for my pokémon alone! Geez!"I squeezed back out of the crowd and sat down on the couch again. "Mew! Some people!"I muttered angrily. The boy that had invited me to watch came over and sat by me,"Can't they be horrible sometimes? The names Gary!"I smirked.

"Lyla."I said simply.

"Where you headed?"he asked.

"I've decided to visit Pallet Town before I head over to Johto."I said. He nodded, looking as if he was thinking about something,"Pallet Town huh? Well, if you'll let me, I'll join you."I shrugged, I really didn't care who came with me, just so long as I got there. Gary smirked, and I raised an eyebrow,"You know the kid they're doing the documentary on TV for? He used to be my old rival."_Is he trying to impress me?__ I couldn't care less about his rival!_ I thought to myself, _I'm sorry that I said he could come with me now._ Gary started to tell me about wanting to be a pokémon researcher, it was just beginning to sound interesting when Nurse Joy called his name. "Gary Oak? Your pokémon are healed."I was sat on my own again, trying to plot my escape from this boy. But I couldn't leave without Shinx and Pidgey, and soon enough Gary was sat down beside me again, asking if I wanted to hear about his days being the boy on TV's rival,"Um...maybe later, I'm just waiting for my pokémon...then, when we're headed for Pallet Town, you can tell me everything you like."Gary just shrugged, and the voice in the back of my head screamed, _No!_ _What did you say that for?_ Nurse Joy shouted a few more names, and the crowd around the TV cleared. Finally, after a depressing half hour spent in silence, Nurse Joy called me,"Here you go! Hope you have a nice trip!"she said cheerfully. Shinx and Pidgey smiled and jumped on me. I laughed,"Thank you Nurse Joy!"

"Shi Shinx!"

"Pidgey Pidge!"

"Alright then, let's go!"I said. I saw Gary standing by the door, and I walked over to him, walking past the TV. It blurred noisily, so I caught a bit of what the narrator was saying,"And so, as Ash Ketchum's journey continues, we wish him all our luck!"_Wait, Ash Ketchum?_ I whirled around and glued my eyes to the last few images of the documentary before it ended. A ten year old, accompanied by a Pikachu. His brown eyes filled with happiness, his black hair, contained under his cap. His smile. Ash. Shinx, from his position on my shoulder, nudged me,"Shinx?"I felt like crying and laughing at the same time. Jumping into the air with joy. Or falling to the floor in dis-belief. There he was. "He's taller than I remember..."I whispered. Pidgey, who was standing on the floor looking up at me, gave me a puzzled look. Gary walked over to me, giving me a quizzical glare, looking at the fading image of Ash,"Hey, are you okay? It looks as if you've seen a ghost..." I just nodded, and followed him outside. I called Pidgey back into her pokéball and began to walk alongside Gary. We remained silent for quite some time, until I finally couldn't take it anymore and broke the silence, "So... What are you going to Pallet Town for?"I asked. Gary shrugged, but I knew that he knew why he was going there. I raised my eyebrow at him, and he let out a sigh,"Okay...I'm going to my granddads house, Professor Oak, you heard of him?" I shook my head, and he let out another sigh. Shinx yawned from my shoulder, showing me the conversation was boring him. Gary looked at Shinx, raising an eyebrow,"What kind of pokémon is he anyway?"

"He's a Shinx."

"I haven't seen one of those before."

"Because they don't come from Kanto. They come from another region."

"Was he your starter pokémon?"

"Yes, he was."I said. Gary went on to saying that I looked like I'd only just turned ten, so I mustn't have had much experience training Shinx,"And so, I want you to battle me, so you can train more, and I can win more."Gary said smugly. I grinned, oh, if only he knew. We found an open field, and shook hands in the middle of it. We walked to opposite ends and he got out a pokéball,"Now, I only caught this guy the other day, but he's real strong! Go Pidgeotto!"He threw the pokéball into the air and Pidgeotto screeched, appearing on the grass a little ahead of Gary. Shinx hopped off my shoulder and growled at the Pidgeotto. Shinx wanted to battle. "Alright then, let's do this Shinx!"Gary grinned and ordered Pidgeotto to use a Wing Attack on Shinx. _Great, an attack up close!_ I thought,"Shinx, use Iron Tail!" I yelled. Shinx simply batted the bird pokémon away, grinning when it shrieked in pain. I saw Gary's shocked expression. Pidgeotto screeched defiantly, although it looked as if he was in pain. Gary growled,"Alright! Pidgeotto! Use Gust!"Shinx un-sheathed his claws and dug then into the ground as Pidgeotto tried to blow him off balance. I let out a yawn,"Is that all you've got? Shinx, Thunderbolt. Now."Shinx charged the electricity inside him, then let out a powerful blast. It hit the unprepared Pidgeotto full on, and he stopped blowing Shinx around. Shinx sheathed his claws again, and grinned. Gary's jaw dropped. I laughed. _Look at his face! _I thought to myself, still laughing. Pidgeotto shrieked, landing on the floor, taking in a few deep breaths. Gary clenched his fists, obviously unhappy that he was losing,"Pidgeotto, I know you can do it!"he said,"Use Aerial Ace!" Pidgeotto flew into the air and screeched, flying towards Shinx with great speed.

"Shinx?"Shinx yelped.

"Shinx, dodge. Now."I said calmly.

"Shinx!"Shinx said with a nod, jumping out of the way just in time.

"Pidgeotto! Fly back around and hit him!"Gary yelled at Pidgeotto. _Enough!_ I thought to myself, _Time to finish this battle!_ "Shinx, let's finish this up, when he flies back down, use Thunder Fang." Shinx nodded and opened his mouth, charging the electricity. Pidgeotto screeched as he flew at Shinx, knowing that he was about to be defeated. Shinx bit him as he flew past him, unleashing an electrical blast from his mouth. Pidgeotto let out a final shriek of pain, and Shinx threw him to Gary's feet. The bird pokémon had fainted, and Gary had lost. Shinx let out a triumphant yowl,"Shinx!"I ran over and picked him up, spinning him around happily. Shinx giggled and when I finally got dizzy, I let him clamber back onto my shoulder, grinning at Gary, who was knelt down by Pidgeotto,"You did great, have a rest!"he said, returning Pidgeotto into it's pokéball. He looked up at me, pouting like a toddler that had been told that they couldn't have ice cream,"Well, you won. Looks as if I'm gonna have to up my game a bit."I laughed and held out my hand to him, helping him up. Shinx laughed too. Gary stroked Shinx, smiling. Shinx didn't seem to mind being stroked by him, letting out a little purr.

"So, are we going to Pallet Town or what?"he asked

"Sounds good to me."I said with a smile.

"Shinx!"Shinx said with a nod.

**END OF CHAPTER SEVEN**


	8. Chapter 8

_**Chapter Eight- A quick visit to Pallet Town.**_

"Why are you going to Pallet Town again?"Gary asked as we walked down the paths leading out of Viridian City.

"Oh, I was born there."I answered.

"Oh, so your going to see your parents or something?"

I winced. Shinx glared at Gary angrily, baring his teeth. Gary held up his hands in surrender, clearly puzzled by Shinx's reaction,"Woah! What did I say?"I looked at the ground. No one had mentioned my parents to me since I was little, and back then I hadn't understood fully what had happened to them. I hadn't known them, but I held a special place in my heart that was especially for them. They were dead. "No...I haven't got any..."I muttered, as if I was five all over again. Shinx muzzled my face, and I lifted my hand up and stroked him. Gary scratched his head,"I'm sorry..."he said. I gave him a weak smile and told him that it didn't matter. Shinx knew it had mattered though, and growled at him. We walked in silence for the rest of the journey, which bored me greatly. I noticed a sign, a lot newer looking than the one for Viridian Forest. It read 'Welcome to Pallet Town!' And below it, inked on with permanent marker, read 'Gary was here. Ash is a loser.' Gary grinned when he noticed my look of disapproval,"Yep! That's my handy work, back when I really hated Ash." I shook my head at him, and Shinx just laughed. I looked at Pallet Town. It didn't look much different from when I had been taken away to Team Rocket. Except for one thing. There was no sign of the orphanage anywhere. "Hey, there used to be a big house over there!"I said, pointing at a bare patch of grass. Gary laughed and shook his head, "Erm, no. I don't think there was. Are you feeling okay?"My jaw dropped, what was he talking about?

"There was never anything there."he said.

"Are you sure?"I asked, "Because I think there was..."

"Then there must be something wrong with you. You can ask any Pallet Town resident you want, and you'll get the same answer, which is no!"Gary started to sound annoyed. Shinx growled in my defence, I'd told him enough times about that big old house for him to believe me. Gary rolled his eyes, "Look, go and investigate if you want to, I'm going to get Pidgeotto healed."He walked off, and I was left on my own with Shinx again. Shinx hopped off my shoulder and looked at me with his big amber eyes. "What?" I said. He smiled at me, and started to pad towards the empty patch of grass. I was bewildered by his actions and followed him. Once he'd reached the grass, he stopped and sat down. I knelt down in front of him, stroking him, "Oh Shinx, I just don't understand..." Shinx smiled at me sympathetically, climbing onto my lap. "Shinx, you do believe me when I say that there was an orphanage here, right?"

"Shinx!"he said with a nod.

"You know Shinx..."I said, wrapping my arms around his furry little body, "You're the best friend ever!"

"Shi Shinx!"Shinx purred, muzzling my face and licking me with his rough little tongue. I looked at the bare patch of grass once more, it seemed that my life in the orphanage, and the orphanage itself, were just distant memories, like they were just bad dreams. I got to my feet, still holding Shinx. He looked at me with questioning amber eyes, and I shook my head,"Oh, it doesn't matter anymore Shinx, these are just bad memories, memories I should probably just forget about."He sighed. He knew the most about what I'd gone through, and he knew that it would be harder for me to forget about my past than just saying it. Shinx wriggled free of my grip and clambered back onto my shoulder. _Alright..._ I thought, _I'll wait for Gary to get back, go to his Granddad's, spend the night somewhere in Pallet, then go._

For a while I stood and waited for Gary, and for a while after that, I sat back down on the grass. _This feels awfully familiar... _I thought. I watched a bunch of little kids running around chasing each other, and I smiled. Shinx watched them too, his ears pricking up whenever he heard a scream coming from them. From his position on the grass next to me, I could tell that he wasn't enjoying the noise at all,"Hey, just think Shinx, if we hadn't gone into Team Rocket, we'd probably have spent a lot of time running around and screaming like that." Shinx shrugged his shoulders indifferently, and I sighed. Gary came back after half an hour, and looked down at me grinning, "Hey, did you find the imaginary house?"Shinx growled at him angrily, his fur glowing with electricity. Gary just looked at him, with his stupid smirk on his face. I didn't feel like stopping Shinx, _It'll probably shut Gary up for a while, and that's good... _I thought. Shinx shocked him, wiping the smirk off of his face, and instead of his smart comments, all that escaped his mouth was a pitiful scream.

"HEY! STOP YOUR STUPID CAT THING NOW!"

"Not until you say please."I said.

"AAAH! OKAY, OKAY! PLEASE, WILL YOU MAKE HIM STOP!"

"Okay Shinx, that's enough."I said, trying to hold back a laugh. Shinx grinned at me and stopped, leaving Gary in a heap on the floor. A few passers by laughed at Gary, and gave me and Shinx a thumbs up. Gary got up off the floor looking a little angry at me, "What the hell did you do that for!"Shinx's eyes met with mine and we both burst out laughing. Gary folded his arms, but unfolded them instantly, "Ow... you do know that I'm going to have to get you back, right?"I nodded, and Shinx grinned at him menacingly. Gary brushed himself off as best as he could, then marched of in the direction of an important looking building, "Come on, my Granddad will be wondering were I've gotten to."he called over his shoulder. With Shinx padding along next to me, I followed Gary. Gary told me that his the Professor was not a man to be messed with, and that I should only speak when spoken too. "Geez, it's like I'm in Team Rocket all over again!"I muttered to Shinx, who nodded in agreement.

"What was that?"Gary asked, tuning around.

"Um, nothing!"I replied quickly.

"Oh, okay then."Gary said, walking up to the laboratory's door and ringing the doorbell, "Just remember, don't speak unless you're spoken too and don't touch anything, got that?" I nodded. Shinx rolled his eyes in disapproval. A middle aged man came and answered the door, smiling at Gary, "Why hello there Gary! It's nice to see you!"the man looked at me, "Who's your friend?" I held a hand out towards him, smiling, "My name's Lyla, it's nice to meet you Professor!" He smiled back at me, taking my hand and shaking it briskly, "Ah, a polite young girl, my name is Professor Samuel Oak! It's nice to meet you too!"Shinx smiled at him, and the Professor smiled back at him.

"Ah, what's this, I haven't seen this species of pokémon before,who might you be little one?"

"Shinx!"Shinx said.

"He's a Shinx. He was my starter pokémon."

"Please tell me if I begin to get irritating, but would you care to tell me about him?"Professor Oak said, walking inside, "You can come in by the way."I followed him inside, and Gary closed the door behind us. He asked me what type of pokémon he was, what moves he knew, but when he asked where Shinx had come from, I didn't have an answer. Professor Oak just shrugged, "Oh, it doesn't matter, I was just being overly curious as usual, I'll just go type this into the computer, you can come watch if you want."said the Professor. I nodded and followed him, but Gary, who was sat down on the sofa, stayed where he was, "You go have fun, I've seen him enter information on pokémon billions of times. And a trainer like you will find it interesting."he said smugly. _What does he mean, a trainer like me? _I thought to myself. I stood by the computer as the Professor typed up the information on Shinx.

"Professor?"

"Yes?"

The disappearing orphanage, I had to ask him about it, "Do you remember anything about an orphanage in Pallet town?"

The Professor raised an eyebrow, "You mean the old house that got demolished four years ago, why?"

"Because I want to know Professor...it's just I used to live here in Pallet town..."

"And you were wondering why no one talks about it? Alright, I'll tell you what happened. A few years ago, when Pallet Town was just starting out, an evil criminal organization called Team Rocket set that house up. They took young girls out of that house, but they had another one elsewhere where they took young boys. Children as young as five were taken, and never seen again. It was truly terrible, and the residents of Pallet Town didn't know what to do."The professor paused, then continued, "Until one day, a trainer from a far off region came and stopped it. He stopped the children from being taken, and they all found loving families, they were orphans, in case I didn't mention that. The houses were later destroyed, and Pallet Town is now a happy place to live."he took a deep breath, and then looked at me, "That is why no one talks about it in front of tourists, or in front of anyone. They're just scared about it happening again."

"Oh...I said, starting to shake a little, "That's awful..."

"Are you okay?"Professor Oak asked.

"Yeah...I'm okay..."

The Professor smiled at me, "You know what, I think your worthy of a pokédex!"

I looked at him blankly, "What?"He opened a draw in the desk that his computer lived on top of and rummaged through it, finally pulling out a little red 'pokédex'. He handed it over to me, and smiled as I opened it. "Why don't you try pointing it at one of your pokémon?"I pointed it at Shinx, and to my surprise, it came to life, "Shinx, the Flash pokémon..."It said robotically. Professor Oak told me that if I wished, I could add in information and delete information as I pleased. Shinx jumped onto my shoulder to get a better look at it, and I let him push one of the buttons on it. He giggled and continued to press the buttons, until I had to take it off him, "Okay buddy, enough playing around."I said, slipping it into my pocket.

"Thanks so much for this Professor!"I said.

"You're welcome, just come back to me when its full!"the Professor said.

I said goodbye to him and walked over to the door. Gary stood up, "Hey, were are _you _going?" I opened the door and turned to face him, "Going to find the Pokémon Centre, then to Johto, then who knows."I said shrugging.

"So I guess this is goodbye then?"

"Yep."

"Well,"Gary said, holding a hand towards me, "Goodbye, and good luck."

I took his hand and shook it, "Bye Gary, and I promise next time we see each other I won't let Shinx shock you."

With that, I walked out of the lab. _Well, at least I found out about the orphanage...I've gotta find a Pokémon Centre now though._ I thought. I looked down at Shinx, and he looked up at me, "So buddy, I guess this is going to be our last night in Kanto, at least, for a while anyway."

"Shinx!"he said.

**END OF CHAPTER EIGHT...**


	9. Chapter 9

_**Chapter Nine- The Case of the Lost Charmander.**_

_A few months later..._

I'd caught many pokémon while travelling through Johto, and Shinx had gotten a lot stronger too. I was sat in an internet café on a computer doing some research. Not about pokémon, but about me. About what happened to my parents. Shinx sat on the table and watched me typing away. I opened up an old news achieve and found a newspaper article from nearly ten years ago. I read the article and sat back, not satisfied. "No, there has to be more to it than that!"I muttered angrily to myself. Shinx gave me a sympathetic smile. All it really said was, 'They died in a car accident. We are sad for the loss.' _Blah, Blah, Blah!_ I thought to myself. I got up and walked out of the café, the disappointment was indescribable. I went to the nearby forest and climbed the first tree that came to my fancy. I sat happily up there for quite some time, until I heard rustling grass beneath me.

"Ch-Charmander..."came a little voice.

"Shinx?"Shinx said, peering down to the ground.

"Huh?"I said, also looking down. Looking straight back up at me was a little lizard pokémon, and it was clearly distressed about something. I clambered down the tree slowly and knelt down in front of it, reaching into my pocket and pulling out the pokédex Professor Oak had given to me what seemed like forever ago. "So, you're a Charmander huh? I thought you looked like a familiar species..."I muttered to myself, before putting the pokédex away and looking at the little pokémon,"So, what seems to be the problem?" The little lizard began to cry, running over to me and wrapping its little arms around me. Well, this is a little awkward...I thought. "Let me guess, are you lost?"I asked. A sniffle and a little nod. I hugged it, shushing comfortingly. Shinx also helped, tickling the Charmander gently with his tail. That appeared to cheer the lost pokémon up a bit.

"Do you have a trainer?"

A shake of the head.

"Okay then, did you by any chance get separated from your mother?"

A little nod.

_Great. _I thought to myself,_ I'm about to hunt down a Charizard._ The Charmander looked up at me with its big eyes, a few little tears still trickling out of them. I wiped them gently and smiled warmly at the little lizard,"It's okay Charmander, we'll help you, won't we Shinx?"I said. Shinx nodded his head, and the Charmander smiled shyly. I stood up and looked around the forest, "Hmmm...we might need a little aerial support."I said, getting out Pidgeotto's pokéball. I threw into the air, calling her out. Yes...Pidgey evolved. Anyway, she came out and screeched her name, flapping her wings a little ways above my head, "Okay Pidgeotto, I could use your help. Could you fly around and look for a Charizard please? A distressed one..."I said. Pidgeotto nodded and flew off. Charizard...they're fire type pokémon, I should probably be prepared... I thought. "Okay,"I said, bringing another pokéball out of my bag, "Come on out, Feraligatr!"

"FER!" said the big, blue crocodile pokémon.

"Okay buddy, I need you to keep an eye out for a Charizard with me."

"Fera!"Feraligatr said with a nod. I picked up Charmander and ventured further into the forest, looking out for signs of a rampaging dragon. I found a set of Charizard tracks, and began to follow them. Feraligatr plodded along beside me, and Shinx crept along a little ways ahead of me. The forest was quiet, and after a while the quiet began to get to me. _I wonder what's going on...why aren't there any bird pokémon singing?_ I thought to myself. There was a sudden screech and I heard the flapping of wings. I looked up and saw Pidgeotto, "Hey girl! Did you see anything?"She nodded, beginning to glide towards the right. I looked up at Feraligatr and shared a quick nod with him, then sharing a nod with Shinx. I could feel Charmander's little body shaking in my arms,"It's okay..."I said, reassuring myself as well as the petrified pokémon. I could hear nothing apart from our little groups footsteps and the beating of my heart. Pidgeotto landed in front of me and spread out her wings, she didn't want us to pass, she was listening out for something. All fell silent. I began to feel scared. Shinx crept over to Pidgeotto and whispered to her. She still remained where she was, her eyes fixated on the expanse of trees that lay before us. Feraligatr placed his claws on my shoulder, trying to make me feel a little less scared. _What's happening?_ I thought wearily,_ Why's Pidgeotto acting like this?_ Charmander shook violently, burying its little face in my arms. "Pidgeotto...what's u-"

"CHARIZARDDD!"

"Pidge!"

"Oh...Mew..."I gasped. Feraligatr roared and Shinx growled. Charmander quivered in my arms. I took a step back as the dragon pokémon thudded through the trees before me. It looked angry, very angry. "There! There! That girl stole your little one! Go now, punish her!"Came a mans voice, although I didn't see anyone. I noticed something around the Charizard's neck, and put Charmander down gently,"Okay...take it easy now, I didn't steal Charmander..."I said in a hushed tone. Charmander nodded. Charizard roared, it wasn't paying any attention. Again the mans voice ordered Charizard to punish, "Charizard! Flame Thrower!"The mans voice yelled. Feraligatr stepped in front of me and roared, repelling the Flame Thrower with a Hydro Pump. Charizard roared defiantly, again using Flame Thrower. Shinx growled and while Feraligatr repelled the fire, he shocked Charizard with a Thunderbolt. "No!"I shouted,"It's not her fault! She's being controlled!"All three of my pokémon looked at me, showing their concern. I told Charmander to wait with them, and ran at the Charizard. I sure hope this doesn't end badly! I thought to myself as I dodged a Fire Punch. I heard Shinx yowling, fear in his voice. I jumped onto Charizard's back and grabbed the collar.

"No...NO! What are you doing!? Charizard! Shake her off!"The mans voice yelled.

"ZARD!"roared Charizard, furiously trying to throw me off.

"Wah!"I yelped, trying to un-buckle the collar,"Stupid...Idiot!"

"That...That wasn't meant for me was it?"The man said, sounding hurt. _Oh yeah, that was meant for you!_ I thought, and after a little struggle, I managed to get the collar off Charizard,"Shinx, Thunderbolt it! Feraligatr, Hydro Pump it! Pidgeotto, Gust it!"I yelled, throwing the collar in the air. All three of them attacked at once, destroying the collar. I jumped down off Charizard and looked up at her, she looked dazed, dazed and hurt. Charmander toddled over and hugged Charizard's leg. Charizard picked up Charmander, giving the little pokémon a hug. Feraligatr came to Charizard's side, offering to let her lean on him. She gave Charmander back to me and leant on Feraligatr, taking in a few deep breaths. "We should definitely get you to a pokémon centre."I said. Charizard nodded, and we began to move slowly out of the forest. Shinx padded alongside me and Pidgeotto flew just ahead of us. I noticed a new bruise on my knee from being tossed around on Charizard's back,_ Great_! I thought, _Just what I need. _I walked out of the forest and straight to the pokémon centre, trying not to let people's puzzled glances get to me. I pushed open the door and walked over to the counter, and Nurse Joy looked up from her paperwork,"Oh, good afternoon! What can I do for you?"

"Hello. I was wondering whether you'd help my friend?"I said, nodding my head towards Charizard.

"Oh!"Nurse Joy cried, jumping out of her seat,"Please! Take her through this way!"

Once Feraligatr had helped Charizard sit down, Nurse Joy looked over her,"Well, she's hurt her leg...and there's a few smaller wounds as well...do you know what happened?"I shook my head, telling her that I'd found Charizard like this, also mentioning the collar. Nurse Joy nodded, concern spreading over her face,"Alright...I'll look after Charizard, I'll call you when I'm done!"Charmander lingered for a second, but followed me and my pokémon into the waiting area. I sat down on a couch and Shinx jumped onto my lap, purring loudly. I smiled and stroked him gently, noticing Charmander standing by the couch, staring at me with its big eyes,"Here, let me help you up."I said, lifting the little pokémon up and placing it down next to me. Charmander snuggled up next to me, and with the hand that wasn't stroking Shinx I began to stroke Charmander, the only thought coming into my head was, Boy, aren't I the popular one today! Feraligatr sat on the floor beside the couch, having a conversation with Pidgeotto. If only life was always so calm, I thought to myself. I was on the brink of dozing off when Nurse Joy called me,"I've treated Charizard's wounds,"she said,"But I think I'm going to keep her in over-night."

"Oh, that works out well, I was planning on spending the night here too."I said.

"She should be fine by tomorrow, and we can release her and her little one back into the forest."Nurse Joy said.

"You hear that Charmander! You can go home!"I said.

"Char!"Charmander squealed happily. I spent a while sitting with Charizard, and it started to get late. I yawned,"I think I'm going to go to my room, I'll see you tomorrow!"I told Charizard. Charizard nodded, and with Charmander curled up beside her, she drifted off to sleep. I walked upstairs to my room, calling Feraligatr and Pidgeotto back into their pokéballs,"Thanks for all the help today guys!"Shinx jumped onto the bed and smiled at me, he never went back into his pokéball, he didn't like it that much, and I didn't like the thought of not being with him. I rummaged though my bag and pulled out the pair of pyjamas that I'd bought with my battle money. I changed quickly and jumped into bed with Shinx, wrapping my arms around his little body. We both yawned loudly,"Ugh...goodnight Shinx."I said, closing my eyes.

"Shinx..."Shinx said, snuggling up next to me.

I drifted off to sleep.

I found myself standing at the roadside, it was raining, and it was dark. I had no control of my legs, I was rooted to the spot, watching the cars trundle by. There was a loud beeping noise, and I turned my head to the left, seeing a huge lorry slipping and sliding on the wet tarmac. The driver was yelling something, although I couldn't hear him. He stuck his head out of the window and yelled again at the cars coming the opposite direction,"I've lost control! I've lost control! Get out of the way! I don't want to bloody kill anyone!"All the cars around the lorry swerved off the road just as it toppled over, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I heard the beeping of a horn, and noticed a car skidding around on the road, heading straight towards the lorry. I screamed out, something about the car seemed familiar. I tried to cover my eyes, but my arms wouldn't move, and my eyes were glued open. All I could do was watch in horror as the car smashed into the lorry, catching a glimpse of the people in the car. Catching a glimpse of my parents.

"NOOO!"I screamed, my eyes snapping open. Shinx was sat staring at me, concern in his expression.

"Shi...Shinx..."He said, muzzling my face. I wrapped my arms around him, burying my face in his fur. I stayed like that for a while, but eventually had to sit up and wipe my eyes,"Oh Shinx...it was awful..." He nodded, sitting back and pricking his ears towards me. He wanted me to tell him about the nightmare. I did, and once I'd told him, I felt a lot better. I looked at the clock hung on the wall, and decided that I should get up. I walked into the bathroom, picking my bag up on the way. I noticed that there was already toothpaste waiting on the sink for me, so I just pulled out my toothbrush. Once I'd finished getting ready, I made sure everything was in my bag, and called Shinx over,"Come on buddy, we've got to go and check on Charizard and Charmander!"Shinx padded over to me and jumped onto my shoulder, rubbing his cheek against mine. I smiled and stroked him,"I'm okay Shinx..."I said,"At least...I'm okay now, thanks to you..."I walked out of the door, closing it behind me, and downstairs, to be greeted by Nurse Joy,"Oh hello...Lyla. That is you're name right? Good. Anyway, I think you'll be happy when I tell you that Charizard is fine now!"She said happily.

"Oh, thank you Nurse Joy! That's great!"I said, beginning to walk past her.

"Would you like me to heal you're pokémon?"She asked,"They'll be ready by the time you're finished with Charizard."

"Okay!"I said, handing over the pokéballs in my bag,"You going as well Shinx?" Shinx smiled but shook his head, remaining where he was on my shoulder. I thanked Nurse Joy and walked into the treatment room to see Charizard looking much better than she had done the day before. Charmander grinned and waved at us, and I smiled warmly,"Well Charizard, you're certainly looking a lot better than you did yesterday!"I said. Charizard nodded, smiling down at me. Shinx jumped off of my shoulder, landing next to Charmander. Charmander giggled and grabbed his tail,"Charmander Char!"Shinx grinned playfully, trying to free his tail from the little lizards grasp. Charizard and I exchanged glances, giggling as Shinx managed to free his tail and started to tickle Charmander.

"Well Shinx, I think you've got a fan!"I laughed.

"Shinx!"

"Char Charmander!"

Later in the day, Nurse Joy walked into the room to give me back my pokémon and do a last check up on Charizard, "Well then, it would appear that you're fine! We can release you into the forest right away!"Said the Nurse. Charizard roared delightedly and Charmander attempted to copy her, although it didn't sound all too good. Woah...I think that roar needs a little work! I thought to myself. Charizard thudded over to me and placed her claws on my shoulder, winking at me"Zard."she said. Nurse Joy smiled and said goodbye to Charizard and Charmander, then to me and Shinx. I supposed she had other things to do, because she scurried off. Charizard followed me out of the pokémon centre, who was closely followed by Charmander.

"Oh!"I said, grabbing two pokéballs out of my bag,"These two will want to know whether you're okay!"

"Zard!"

"Come on out, Pidgeotto and Feraligatr!"I said, throwing the two balls high into the air. Both pokémon came out and when they saw Charizard looking better than ever, they smiled and cheered. "So Charizard, do you live in the forest?"She shook her head, and I felt a bit puzzled,"Do you live in another region then?"Charizard nodded her head, If she lives in Hoenn...maybe she could give me a ride... I thought to myself. Feraligatr seemed to know what I was thinking, and turned to Charizard to explain to her my plan. The dragon pokémon listened to him quite happily, and with a friendly shake of claws, Feraligatr had persuaded her to let me go with her to Hoenn. Well then, that saves the trouble of buying a train ticket! I thought happily.

"Alright then, I'm ready to go whenever you are!"I said.

"Zard!"Charizard said, crouching down onto the floor, allowing me to climb on with Charmander and Shinx. After thanking Feraligatr, I called both him and Pidgeotto back into their pokéballs. It'll be a long ride to Hoenn! I thought to myself, But it'll be worth it! As Charizard took off, a wide grin spread across Shinx's face,"So you've got a secret love for flying, eh Shinx?"

"Shinx!"

**END OF CHAPTER NINE...**


	10. Chapter 10

_**Chapter Ten- A Swellow Situation**_

_One year later..._

"Shiiiinx..."Shinx yawned.

"Oh do be quiet Shinx, you've done nothing but sleep all day!"I grumbled.

"Shi Shinx!"Shinx protested.

He'd probably said something like, But I'm tired. Pidgeot scolded Shinx half-heartedly, a fond look in her eyes. We'd done nothing but laze around for the past few days, and it was beginning to get to me. I had no gym battles coming up, and no real need to train my pokémon. I sighed and got up from where I had been sitting, stretching my arms and legs. Pidgeot looked over to me, standing up.

"I'm really bored guys, I'm going to explore."I told them.

Pidgeot nodded, and walked to my side. Shinx had fallen asleep again, I could hear him snoring quietly. I rolled my eyes and picked him up gently, making the decision to leave our makeshift camp without anyone watching it. As we walked through the forest, and while Shinx was still fast asleep in my arms, I talked to Pidgeot,

"Hey Pidgeot, do you remember the first day we met?"

"Pidge!"She chirped happily.

"D'you remember all those things I told you?"

"Pidgeot..."she chirped quietly, nodding.

"Oh, it's nothing, sorry, I'm blabbering on about myself,"I didn't want to concern her,"But look at you now, back then you were smaller than Shinx, and now, you're bigger than me."

"Pidgeot!"She screeched proudly.

I smiled, _Good old Pidgeot_, I thought, The best bird around. Shinx stirred in my arms after a while, looking up at me with tired yet loving amber eyes,

"Hey, buddy, long time no see."I greeted him teasingly, stroking his ear.

He grinned and hopped onto my shoulder, muzzling my face with his cheek. After walking a little further, I made the decision to head back to camp. When we neared the little clearing, I heard screeching and chirping. Pidgeot's feathers ruffled slightly, and as we reached the edge of the trees, she screeched angrily.

"Woah, what's u-"I was cut off by the sight before me.

A flock of Swellow were in the process of eating my lunch and my pokémon food. Anger boiled inside me, as I felt my stomach growl with hunger. Shinx and Pidgeot were angry too, I could tell. I ran at the Swellow and they retreated, leaving me to mourn my lunch,

"Oh Sandwich...why did you have to leave me like this? You were the one to satisfy my hunger, and now your...d-dead..."I shrunk to the floor and curled into a starving ball.

Shinx giggled at my reaction, but then realised that there were only a few crumbs of pokémon food left. He let out a mournful yowl, before joining me as a ball on the floor. Pidgeot, on the other hand, rolled her eyes and sent a Gust at us, blowing us across the floor,

"Pidge Pidgeot!"She yelled at us.

I looked up at her, beginning to feel faint from hunger, I was pretty sure I was drooling. Shinx looked at her in the same way, and we embraced each other in a weak, mournful way,

"You feel no pity for our losses...me and Shinx understand what its like...forgive me Pidgeot...but I might end up eating you."

Shinx nodded in agreement, and Pidgeot sighed, flying into a nearby tree, and re-emerging holding some apples. Apples... Food! I thought, jumping up from the floor and flinging my arms around her dramatically,

"Oh Pidgeot, you've saved me!"

"Geot..."She sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Shinx!"Shinx mewed thankfully.

"If I come across that flock of Swellow again...they're gonna regret ever messing with me..."I growled.

Pidgeot smiled at me, amusement in her eyes. My time in Hoenn had been somewhat disastrous, my food getting robbed, losing Gym battles left, right and centre, the prospect of leaving seemed to be the only thing keeping me going. I'd saved up my battle winnings and bought a ticket for a ferry travelling to Sinnoh, Sinnoh being a little far away for Pidgeot to carry me. I walked over to my bag and rummaged around for the ticket. My first search being unsuccessful, I emptied the bag of my pokéballs, pokédex, and various other items. The only things that were no longer in there were my sandwich, which I already knew about, of course, and the ferry ticket. The ferry ticket! My face turned a deep shade of red, my mouth produced a furious snarl, steam shot out of my ears. _The Swellow...stole...my...ticket..._ I said inwardly.

"THOSE STUPID SWELLOW STOLE MY TICKET!"I yelled. Shinx and Pidgeot stood, staring shocked as I had a fit of rage, throwing logs and stones around, which would normally be way too heavy for me.

"AFTER THOSE SWELLOW!"I commanded, hopping onto Pidgeot.

"GEOT!"Pidgeot screeched, preparing to take off.

'Shi Shinx!"Shinx yelped, hopping onto Pidgeot just in time before we shot up into the sky to pursue the thieving bird pokémon.

The more rational side of me tried to persuade me that they were only pokémon, and they didn't know they were stealing an expensive ferry ticket, but the less rational side of me didn't listen. We were getting so close to the thieves that I could hear them screeching, and I prayed that they hadn't damaged the fragile piece of paper. Shinx clung onto me desperately, not wanting to get blown down into the trees below. I caught a glimpse of them through the trees, and ordered Pidgeot to dive. The three of us landed right in the middle of the flock, receiving confused looks from all around. Pidgeot scanned around the smaller birds as she began chirping to them, all except one of them looking intimidated by her. The bold male bird, that had rather tattered feathers, a smirk spread across his beak, stepped forward, revealing the unharmed ticket in one of his claws. If there wasn't a chance of getting arrested for cruelty towards pokémon, I would have marched right over and throttled him. _Due to that drawback,_ I thought, _I'll have Shinx fry him._ Shinx hopped off my shoulder and growled, he must have sensed what I was thinking, because he was crouched in his favourite 'Let's battle!' stance.

"Swe low low?"Swellow chirped defiantly.

"Shinx!"Shinx snarled.

"Alright, I suppose we'll have to battle you for it."I told the Swellow, grinning inwardly. A nod from the Swellow confirmed this, and he handed the ticket to one of the other Swellow. He flew into the air, and started to use Ariel Ace. _Great,_ I thought.

"Thunderbolt, Shinx."I said calmly.

Shinx shocked the pokémon with all of his might, knocking Swellow back into the unsuspecting crowd, who threw him back into battle. He didn't look too great. One or two more hits like that and we'll win my ticket back for sure, I'm not losing this battle, I thought, as I watched Shinx dodge a sloppy Wing Attack.

"Bite that bird Shinx."I instructed, surprised at the outcome of the attack.

Shinx had bitten Swellow's wing, making the bird land on the ground with a thud. I paused for a moment, seeing if Swellow got up. He lay on the ground, in pain, but not all together unable to battle. Pidgeot looked down at me, making a gesture with her wing that told me that I should stop the battle. The not so rational side of me said no straight away, but the rational side took over this time. Although I was still angry, I walked over to the Swellow and examined his bitten wing gently. He winced slightly, looking at me with worried eyes. I said nothing as I felt the fragile bones in his wing for breaks. None, but there was probably some nasty bruising.

"Pidgeot, fly back to camp and bring back a potion and some Oran berries please."

Pidgeot nodded and flew off, leaving me to deal with a rather disappointed Shinx. He protested angrily at my decision to stop the battle and help the thief, but I paid him no attention. Pidgeot came flying back with her talons full of potion and berries. I nodded my thanks and got to work straight away. Half an hour, and a few protests later, the Swellow was as good as new. Shinx wasn't very happy about it, but the Swellow certainly was. He retrieved the ticket from his friend and placed it into my hand.

"Swell."He chirped.

"Thank you Swellow!"I cried, flinging my arms around him.

"Low."He grumbled, breaking from my hug, blushing with embarrassment.

"Shi Shinx..."Shinx growled quietly. I reached over to Shinx and picked him up, stroking him. He wriggled for a bit but stopped when I started stroking his favourite spot behind the ears. We said a quick goodbye to the Swellow flock before flying back to camp. We stayed there for a few more days, before heading for the city for a Gym battle. I won, and got a whole lot of prize money, it was the best day I'd had since arriving in Hoenn. But the best day for me, would be leaving Hoenn.

A few weeks later...

"Come on Shinx, we're going to be late!"I screamed as Shinx trailed behind me."

"Shinx!"He screamed back, speeding up a bit.

"Look, I can see it!"I cried, pointing to a large ship,"It hasn't left, we're going to make it!"

I was running at full speed, excitement my fuel, I decided to pick up Shinx and carry him to the boat. We came to the ramp leading into the boat just in time, greeted by a rather plump man,"Ah, the last stragglers,"he said teasingly as I handed him my ticket for inspection, he handed it back with a wink,

"Go on, hope you have a nice trip to Sinnoh."I nodded my thanks and ran aboard, eager to find my quarters for the night.

Once I'd found it, I placed Shinx on the bed, where he lay down immediately. "Sorry buddy, I know it's late, it was the only ticket I could get at the time,"I sat beside him, brushing my fingers through his fur, yawning,"Ugh, I'm tired too, now that all the excitement has died down a bit, we should call it a night."I told him. He nodded eagerly, curling into a little ball. I got changed and curled up as well, falling asleep almost immediately. What adventures would Sinnoh have in store for me?

END OF CHAPTER TEN...

A/N Hey guys, this chapter is a little small, but don't worry, the next one is longer. It would appear that this is my first ever Author's Note :D Please R&R

ashketchumfangurl xxx


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven - I make an old friend.

_One year later..._  
_  
What a beautiful day_, I thought to myself as I walked along a little forest path. Shinx padded along beside me, taking in all the smells of flowers and different pokémon. His kind come from this region, and there are a lot of them. We were enjoying a nice walk before calling it a day and heading for the pokémon centre. Life is peaceful, apart from the odd challenge and of course the all-important Gym battles, but I don't mind, I haven't lost any of them. My feet crunched along all the fallen leaves, and the people following me crunched along as well. The people following me?! I turned around quickly but saw nothing, and Shinx looked up at me in concern.

"Shinx?" He asked.

"Nothing...it's okay, let's just keep moving." I told him.

We walked a little further, coming across two trees that created an arch over the path. I smiled, but that smile was short-lived, when I heard those three simple words.

"Prepare for trouble!" She said.

"What...the...hell?!"I screamed, sudden realisation hitting me like a wet Magikarp. I looked, to see three figures standing on the arch.

"Meowth! Does dat girl look familiar to youse?"The pokémon cried.

"Oh...my..."He said.

"Jessie...James...and Meowth..."I muttered, beginning to shiver a little.

I became glued to the spot, repeating the names over and over in my mind. Shinx began growling at the trio and from where he stood shocked all three of them, making them fall to the ground. James looked just about as gob-smacked as I was, sitting there staring at me, mouth dropped open. Meowth was the first to get back to his feet.

"Meowth! What was dat for kid?!"He yelled at Shinx.

Shinx pretended to charge for another attack, and Meowth shut his mouth. I nodded to Shinx, and we began to walk away from them. Jessie got up frantically and caught my arm.

"No! Don't go! We need your help! Could you just battle the-"I broke away from her and began running,"The boy with the Pikachu!"She shouted after me.

_The boy with the Pikachu_, I thought, giggling a little, _That sounds like something in a book I just read._ Shinx raised his brow at me, as if asking what I was giggling about.

"Oh, nothing,"I told him,"It doesn't matter."

I got far enough from Team Rocket to feel comfortable, before sitting at the base of a large tree to take a break. Shinx went exploring, and I started thinking, _Why would Team Rocket think I'll help them? Can't they remember I ran away because I hated it there?_ I heard Shinx growling a little way from where I was sat. Growling? I got up from the base of the tree and ventured into the tall bushes he had padded into.

"Shinx buddy, where are you? Is everything okay?" I called.

"Oh, so you do have a trainer!" Came a voice.

"Shiiinx!"Shinx growled.

"Woah, calm down!" Came another voice.

"Yeah, we don't wanna hurt you or anything." Came a third.

I caught a glimpse of Shinx's tail and sighed, who had he bumped into now, more trainers wanting to battle? I stumbled through the bush and into a small clearing, noticing a broken pokéball lying beside Shinx, his fur was bristling and he was growling menacingly. A Pikachu walked up to him and smiled kindly.

"Pikachu pika!"he said.

Hmm, a Pikachu, time for some assistance from my old friend the pokédex, I thought, bringing the pokédex from my bag and pointing it at the little yellow mouse.

'Pikachu, the mouse pokémon!' It chirped happily. A surprised gasp came from before me.

"Hey! That's a Kanto pokédex!" the boys voice said.

I looked to see who the owner was, revealing a boy who looked about my age, he had messy black hair and brown eyes, wearing a cap atop his head, a surprised smile on his face. I nearly died on the spot.

"Erm...y-yeah, it is, how'd you know?" I stammered.

"My home's back in Kanto. I'm Ash from Pallet town, it's nice to meet you...erm..."He gestured to me after saying this.

"Lyla's the name, Pokémon's the game!" I said, a little more confidently now, although my heart pounded against my rib cage with tremendous force. _It can't be...can it?_ His companions stepped forward, the older boy with squinty eyes, Brock, and a girl, maybe just a little younger than me and had navy blue hair, called Dawn introduced themselves. Pikachu and Dawn's Piplup greeted me also, but received a hostile reception from Shinx. He kept eyeing Ash, his amber eyes dull with hatred. I picked him up so he didn't try to attack him,

"Sorry about Shinx, he's usually a lot better behaved than this!"I said.

Ash waved it off and smiled, allowing Pikachu to jump onto his shoulder. I wonder...i-if Ash was the one who Team...no he can't be... I worried to myself. The words 'The boy with the Pikachu' rang around in my head.

"Well," Ash stopped my thinking, holding a hand towards me," It's nice to see someone else from Kanto out here in Sinnoh!"

I took his hand slowly and shook it, I could feel Shinx's tension building. I smiled back at him and nodded.

"Yeah, it sure is Ash..."

Shinx wriggled around in my arm, trying to break the death grip I had on him. I looked into Ash's eyes, that familiar chocolate that I'd miss so much. I forgot about Team Rocket, they could do their own dirty work. Pikachu waved his paw at me.

"Pika!"

"Hey there, aren't you just lovely!" I giggled, stroking him. An angry yowl came from Shinx.

"Shut it, or it's pokéball for you!" I hissed, "So, where you guys headed?"

"We're heading for the pokémon centre," said Ash," You can come with us if you want, what d'you say guys?"

"Yeah!" Brock and Dawn said in unison.

Shinx drew his ears back and snarled. What's up with Shinx? I worried. I smiled at them and nodded, I had to get to the pokémon centre anyway, and I wouldn't mind having some human company. I kept hold of Shinx until we were in our room, placing him down on the bed and frowning at him.

"What happened with you back there Shinx?"

He didn't respond, but padded to my bag and rummaged around, emerging with James' bottle cap and pointing at the R on it. R. Rocket. Team Rocket! I thought.

"You mean they...tampered with you...before I got you...to hate...him?"

A small, miserable nod, and he looked up at me with ashamed amber eyes. I should have told you sooner, I heard him say, I'm so s-sorry. He curled up into a little ball, and I stood for a moment before comforting him. Why Ash though? I thought. I picked up the little blue and grey ball and cradled it softly; his soft whimpering made me tear up too. _Poor Shinx, why my poor little Shinx... _I kissed the top of his head and lay him on the bed.

"You can stay here if you want to..."He acknowledged me with a little nod, and I walked out of my room to meet with my 'new' friend.

Ash was waiting in the corridor for me, hands buried into the pockets of his light blue jeans, he wore a sleeveless jacket over a simple white t-shirt, and of course, the cap atop his head. He smiled at me, but said nothing. I searched his face, but again, nothing. I don't think he remembered me, but that's okay. After all, he is a boy, and it was a long time ago.

"Where's your Shinx?"He asked

"He's a little upset."I told him.

"Poor little guy,"Ash sighed,"Did we scare him?"

"Maybe," No, not at all,"He sometimes shows his fear with anger, which can get confusing. It's strange, he's been my best friend for as long as I can remember (not a complete lie, but I can remember further back than that). I've been around pokémon for a long time...and I still can't quite understand them."

"I feel the same way, but maybe, we'll never quite understand pokémon," Ash said wistfully, "So Kanto huh?"

I nodded, and he carried on,

"I knew this girl back when I was little, she was just like you, I forgot her name, but she disappeared."

"I-I'm sorry." I muttered.

We walked out of the pokémon centre to meet Brock and Dawn. Brock, turning out to be an excellent cook, had made dinner. We sat and ate and talked. But all the time I worried about Shinx, all alone in our room. Ash offered me some bread, and I got really creeped out. How much of this can I take in one day? Team Rocket, Shinx, the whole bread thing. Ash. Pikachu came and sat in front of me, eyeing my un-opened sachet of ketchup. I ripped it open and handed it to him, making him squeal in delight. Ash rolled his eyes and continued eating. And eating. And eating.

"So Lyla,"Brock said,"How long have you been travelling?"

"Two years now."I answered.

"Funny,"Ash butted in,"I have too!"

"And in all that time,"Brock joked,"You've eaten more than a Snorlax."

"Hey, I'm a growing boy, I need to eat."Ash countered.

Brock burst out laughing to this, and so did I. Ash blushed in embarrassment, realising how stupid he'd sounded. I nudged him playfully.

"Hey, don't worry Ash, you didn't sound that stupid."

"Thanks, but I don't like false sympathy."He grumbled.

"It wasn't false."

"I believe you Lyla!"Dawn piped up, her Piplup nodding as well.

Ash looked at Pikachu, and the two exchanged a nod.

"She'll have to prove it, by winning a battle. Against me and Pikachu,"He said, grinning,"what d'you say, girly?"

I was dumbstruck. Giddy-ness took over me and I squealed mentally. I decided that I'd better not battle with Shinx, considering he was feeling bad and I didn't know whether he could keep control.

"It'd be my pleasure to prove to you that I was telling the truth."I laughed.

"Alright, Brock, could you referee?"Ash asked his friend.

"Of course Ash!"Brock said cheerfully.

Dawn pouted,"What can I do?"

"I dunno, whatever you want I guess."Ash said, shrugging.

Ash ate some more before going into the pokémon centre to ask if we could use the battle field. He came back and nodded. The battle field was pretty big, and, once in positions, Brock called out the battle conditions.

"Trainers select one pokémon each. The battle will be won when one pokémon is beaten."

"Pikachu, I choose you!"Ash commanded, and Pikachu swiftly obeyed, running before his master and letting a few sparks fly from his cheeks.

"Pidgeot, come on out!"I called, throwing my trusty bird's pokéball into the air.

"GEOT!"She screeched, appearing and landing on the ground just in front of me.

"Wow! A Pidgeot! I haven't battled with a Pidgeot in ages!"Ash cried excitedly.

"I assure you that she is well worth the battle, you and Pikachu better be careful."I threatened jokingly.

"And begin!"Brock yelled, interrupting are conversation.

"Pikachu! Thunderbolt let's go!"Ash commanded.

Pikachu charged up slowly and carefully took aim at Pidgeot. I knew I had a type disadvantage, but a little thing like that wouldn't stop me. Pidgeot looked to me, and I gave her a nod. Pikachu launched the electrical attack with great speed, but Pidgeot was faster. A great deal faster.

"Pidgeot, give him a Gust."I said calmly.

Pidgeot quickly obeyed and sent a huge gust of wind towards Pikachu, making him blow back, to land Ash's feet. Pidgeot enjoyed her small moment of triumph with a confident squawk. Pikachu jumped back up immediately, giving Pidgeot a defiant yell.

"Good try buddy, let's give it a Volt Tackle!"Ash told Pikachu.

"Ka!"Pikachu nodded, and before I knew it, he was running towards Pidgeot in a flurry of yellow sparks.

"Pidge!"Pidgeot screeched, not waiting for a command and dodging out of the way.

"Pidgeot! Wing Attack, go!"I shouted.

"Geot!"Pidgeot nodded in acknowledgement and whacked Pikachu forcefully with her wing.

"Cha!"Pikachu cried, landing hard on his side.

I saw my chance, this was a technique I'd always wanted to try. Team Rocket's or not, I wasn't going to back down now. Pidgeot raised her brow quizzically,

"Pidgeot, grab Pikachu and fly up high."

She nodded, flying over to Pikachu and grabbing him. She took off with great speed, the little pokémon squirming in her talons. While she was still low enough down to hear me, I shouted another command to her.

"When you get real high, use Ariel Ace!"

"What?! Are you insane?!"Ash yelped.

"Slightly."

"Wha?!"

I looked up and saw Pidgeot was a mere dot in the blue expanse. She started her attack, dropping what seemed like a little yellow blob and diving into it with tremendous force. Pikachu began a fast decent, I could hear him screaming. Now, normally, the grunts I had watched would just let the pokémon fall to the ground. But I actually cared for pokémon, and the look on Ash's face didn't help.

"Pidgeot! Catch Pikachu now!"I yelled.

"Pidgeot!"Pidgeot screeched, diving swiftly to catch up with Pikachu.

Brock, Dawn and Piplup also stood, shocked, watching as Pidgeot and Pikachu descended. Pidgeot managed to grab Pikachu just before he landed on the ground, saved from what could have been his end. I breathed a sigh of relief. Thank Mew for that, I don't think killing his Pikachu would make him very happy. I suddenly thought back to when we were little, battling with our plushes. Now it was happening in real life.

"Oh...crap... I'm so sorry!"

Pidgeot placed Pikachu in Ash's arms, and gave him an apologetic chirp. Ash stroked Pikachu gently, and looked up, grinning.

"It's okay, we can't win 'em all, right Pikachu?"

"Pika!"Pikachu snapped out of his dazed state and smiled at me.

"SHIIINX!"came a frantic cry.

I turned around to see Shinx running towards us. He jumped onto my shoulder, growling. Something seemed to click, and I realised the cause of his distress. The motto made me sure.

"Prepare for trouble!"

"And make it double!"

"No thanks!"I cried, and the trio gasped in unison.

"Dats twice she's stopped our motto today!"Meowth growled impatiently.

"Hey, at least she's found the twerp for us."Jessie said with a grin.

James remained silent, and mouthed 'I'm sorry'. No...I thought,

"No. No! NO!"I screamed,"I-It...NO!"

"Kid, cool it!"Meowth was toying with me, he wanted me to explode and reveal who I actually was to Ash and his friends. So I did cool it, but only slightly.

"I didn't know that you m-meant him. I d-didn't know that you'd follow me. I didn't know that this was who you were looking for. But I do know, th-that you're not getting Pikachu."

"You evil little traitor! You stupid kid! You worthless orphan, trying to keep Team Rocket from what they want!" Jessie yelled.

The words 'worthless orphan' hit hardest. I looked to the ground, tears welling up in my eyes. Shinx was of course outraged, and charged for an attack. He jumped off of my shoulder and I saw my chance. I ran into the forest, afraid of what might happen. My vision was blurred by tears, and I almost ran into a few trees along the way. I came to a big oak tree and broke down crying, curling into a ball. I'd gotten back a little of what I had lost, and now, it looked like he was gone again.

"I-I'm s-s-so s-sorry, I sh-should have t-told y-you when I h-had the chance,"I sobbed aloud,"s-so s-sorry..."

"Lyla?"Came a concerned voice.

I looked up, and through my tearful eyes I could see none other than Ash Ketchum himself. He looked down at me with his chocolate eyes, smiling gently. I sniffled and curled up again.

"Lyla, I'm not mad."Ash said, chuckling slightly.

"You sh-should be, Ketchum."I mumbled.

"Well I'm not."Ash sighed.

"What d-d'you want?"I asked.

" Orphan. I had no idea. You should have told me sooner."Ash said sympathetically.

"I just met you a few hours ago, what d'you expect? My whole life story?!"I snapped, but regretted it immediately.

Ash sat down in front of me, raising his hands in surrender. I looked away, feeling even more upset. He looked at me for a moment, I could see from the corner of my eye.

"This seems familiar."Ash mumbled to himself.

"W-what did you say?!"

"I know why you're so familiar. You're that little girl I used to play with, aren't you?"

"I...I..."I couldn't think of anything more to say.

Instead of answering, I flung my arms around him. I think he was a little shocked about my response, because he jumped a little. He hugged me back awkwardly and broke away. I wiped the tears from my eyes with my sleeve.

"Sorry..."I muttered.

"Don't say sorry, its fine. I just can't believe it's you."

"And I can't believe it's you, Ketchup." I said with a playful grin.

"Ketchum, not Ketchup." Ash said, frowning at me in mock disgust.

'Whateverrr."

I got up from the ground and gestured for him to follow. He got up and we walked back along the path I had taken while running away. We remained silent, and when we got back, Team Rocket was nowhere in sight. Shinx ran over to me and jumped into my arms. He'd noticed my red eyes, and I hugged him tightly. Ash walked over to his friends, a grin on his face.

"Look who I found!" He said triumphantly.

"A former Team Rocket, that's what,"Dawn grumbled, "Are you sure we can trust her?"

"I'm positive!"Ash growled.

"Why so sure Ash?" Brock asked, sounding concerned.

"She's an old friend and I trust her, that should be good enough."Ash answered.

I smiled; no one had ever stuck up for me like this before. Shinx looked at Ash. He wasn't growling or snarling or threatening to attack. He was now looking at Ash with respectful amber eyes. I looked at Brock and Dawn. Brock put his hand on Ash's shoulder, and smiled at me.

"Alright, I'll give you a chance, what about you Dawn?"

"I dunno, what d'you think Piplup?"She asked her penguin pokémon.

"Lup."Piplup said with an approving nod.

"Okay, me too."Dawn said with a smile.

Pikachu, who had been sat watching our conversation unfold, walked up to me and let out an excited squeal. They all approved of my presence, and Ash grinned.

"So, you travelling with us?"

"You bet!"I cried.

Shinx remained silent in my arms, a withdrawn look in his eyes. He was fighting with himself, I could tell. He was fighting with himself for me. I kissed the top of his head and followed Ash, Brock, Dawn, Pikachu and Piplup back to the pokémon centre. We decided to head off the next day. I had never thought that I'd meet Ash again, and I couldn't wait for the adventures that were in store for us!

END OF CHAPTER ELEVEN.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve- Beginning of The End and I Battle the Rival!**

_One week later..._

_**(Somewhere in Sinnoh)(Team Rocket's HQ)**_

"Did you get Pikachu as planned?"

"N-no sir."He said.

"What?"

"We didn't catch Pikachu sir."Said the pokémon.

"But the girl-"

"Betrayed us sir."She said.

"...This wasn't the plan, someone will have to pay."

"Make it her sir, and after that, we'll have an electrical powerhouse at our arsenal. She did steal that little blue thing."She shouted viciously.

"Fine, but let's wait for a while, let her...settle down."

•••

"Pikachaaaa!"Pikachu exclaimed, as I gave him another sachet of ketchup.

"You're welcome, buddy."I said with a grin.

"Stop giving him ketchup! He gets really hyperactive after eating it!"Ash protested, eyeing the now empty sachet,"Where's my ketchup?"

"Sorry Ash, we've ran out."Brock said apologetically.

"Darn, I wanted one too!"Dawn cried.

"Hush children, hush."I teased.

Shinx was sat alone eating some of Brock's special pokémon food. I hadn't gotten much out of Shinx in the past week, I was beginning to worry immensely. Team Rocket hadn't bugged us again, which in a way, is good, but in a way, I think its bad. According to Ash, they stopped by everyday. Why did they suddenly decide it was time for a break?

"Hey, are you okay?"Ash asked, concern in his chocolate eyes.

"What? Oh...yeah, I'm okay."

"You're a little quieter than usual, is something on your mind?"Brock asked, smiling persuasively.

"No...I don't really wanna talk about it."I sighed.

"Does that mean you don't trust us?"Dawn smirked.

"No, I do trust you, I just don't wanna talk about it."I replied.

Shinx looked up from his food and gave me a questioning look. I mouthed 'Later' to him, and finished eating the stew Brock had made. Pikachu and Piplup began having a conversation, about the weather, I think anyway. I looked around, checking for signs of people watching us. No one. It was beginning to get dark, and we'd already set up camp, so I decided to go on a stroll with Shinx.

"Shi shinx?"He asked.

"Team Rocket, that's what."

"Shiiiinx..."Shinx sighed, nodding.

"Got any ideas as to why they haven't bothered us?"I asked.

"Shi..."Shinx shook his head.

"Oh well,"I sighed,"we should be on our guard though."

I got a pokéball from my bag and threw it into the air. Monferno landed in front of me, doing a flip in the air. _What a show off_, I thought. She smiled at me.

"Hey Monferno, I thought we'd train for a bit."

"Monfer!"She squealed.

"Shinx, would you like to help us out?"

"Shinx!"Shinx smiled, nodding.

"Alright, now, this battle is just for fun, and for you to practice Dig and Flame Wheel Monferno,"I told them,"would you like my instruction, or d'you want to fly solo?"

"Monfer, Monferno!"Monferno cried, putting on a serious face.

_Oh, fine then, maybe I shouldn't have offered the solo option, I do want to help,_ I scolded myself. I sat on the stump of a tree and watched them battle. I smiled as Monferno nailed a Flame Wheel, knocking Shinx to the ground. I heard footsteps coming from behind me, tensing at the prospect of it being Team Rocket.

"Can we join you?"

"Pikachu?"

"Oh, it's just you guys, sure, of course you can."I said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Something the matter?"Ash asked, sitting on the stump as well.

"Nah, I just get jumpy sometimes."I said, chuckling as Pikachu began to referee Shinx and Monferno's battle.

"You can tell me anything, you know that? Anything at all."Ash said with a lopsided smile.

"Thanks."I mumbled, blushing slightly.

Ash began watching the battle between Shinx and Monferno. They were both laughing, and both beginning to tire. Monferno threw a sloppy Fire Punch in Shinx's direction, and he dodged out of the way, releasing a rather underwhelming Thunderbolt on her. They both fell to the ground, laughing and panting at the same time.

"Alright guys, that was great, you can both take it easy."I told them.

The pair whooped weakly and sat up. I hadn't seen Shinx this happy for a while, and I smiled to myself. Pikachu walked over to them and held out a paw to Monferno, which she took and shook briskly. Shinx stopped laughing suddenly, something glinting in his eyes. Ash tensed beside me, and I called Shinx over. Shinx padded towards me, not making eye contact with Ash. I got off the stump and knelt down in front of him, stroking him behind the ears.

"It's okay buddy."I whispered reassuringly.

"Shinx..."He muttered.

"Pikachu only wants to be your friend, and he didn't want to intrude on your fun with Monferno."I told him.

He didn't reply, looking at me with unsure amber eyes. I picked him up, and turned to Ash.

"I'm going back to camp,"I said,"Monferno!"

"Ferno."Monferno bounded over to my side. Her tail flickered brightly and she held out her hand to Ash.

Ash grinned and took it, shaking it,"It's nice to meet you too Monferno!"

"Fer!"She said, smiling up at him.

"Come on Pikachu."Ash called.

"Pika!"Pikachu cried, running over and jumping onto Ash's shoulder.

Our little group got back to camp in a few minutes. Brock had made a fire and Dawn was sat playing with her pokédex. Piplup walked right over to Monferno and bulged his chest proudly, earning a playful push. I smirked and sat on my sleeping bag, setting Shinx down gently. Monferno sat beside me, and I petted her.

"You did great today! Both of you!"I praised.

"Shinx."Shinx smiled.

"Monferno!"Monferno squealed.

The remainder of the night was spent eating marshmallows (well, I ate about two, where as Ash ate twenty) and laughing. Pretty soon, everyone was asleep, except for me. I kept hearing faint footsteps, and leaves crinkling under someone's feet.

"Psst!"Someone hissed.

I sat up and looked around frantically,"Wh-Who's there?"

"Make it double!"The person whispered.

"James?"I asked, noticing him crouched behind a bush.

"Yep, come on over here, I don't want to get caught out on my own."

I got up carefully, so as not to wake the sleeping Shinx and Monferno. I crept over to James and crouched down as well. What could he possibly want? His green eyes were dull with worry.

"I've come to warn you."He told me.

"Warn me...about what?"I asked, confused.

"Giovanni is after you. You have to get out of this region as soon as possible. He may hold back the attack for a while, a few weeks maybe. I don't want you to get caught up with Team Rocket again. I don't want them to hurt you."He said fearfully.

"W-what?"I stammered.

"I'm not lying to you. You really are in danger."He whispered.

"Why did you really give me Shinx?"

"Huh?"James looked confused.

"Why did you really give me Shinx?"I repeated.

No response.

"So, you didn't choose him, Giovanni asked you to give him to me. He was the one who tampered with Shinx, wasn't he?"I spat.

"I'm...I'm so sorry, I was scared, and I didn't want you to lose the little trust you had in me,"He admitted,"But you are in danger! And your friends too!"

I let what he just said sink in. Me in danger, I got that. My friends. I glanced over at the sleeping Ash, Brock and Dawn. My first real friends since I'd began my journey. My breath caught in my throat. I was finally happy, and it was going to be taken away from me. James put a hand on my shoulder, and I looked at him, eyes beginning to water.

"Y-you really aren't lying, a-are you?"

"No...I'm not, you need to get out of here as soon as possible,"he sighed,"I have to go...oh, and if you don't want to bump into us tomorrow, take the path opposite this one, okay?"

I flung my arms around him, tears flooding from my eyes. James patted my back comfortingly, I buried my face into his shoulder. After a little while, I pulled away and wiped my eyes.

"Bye James, th-thanks..."I muttered, getting up and walking back to the campsite.

"Bye Lyla, I'm sorry..."

I sat on my sleeping bag and curled into a ball, carrying on with my crying. I cried in peace for an hour, it was sometime after one in the morning. I felt someone nudge my foot, and looked to see a pair of glowing amber eyes full of concern.

"Shinx?"Shinx asked.

I scooped him up, burying my face into his little body. Shinx snuggled into me, not knowing what was wrong but not questioning. He just remained silent, his paws over my shoulder.

"W...we're in danger...w...we have to go...a-as soon as..."I muttered.

"Sh-Shinx?"Shinx stammered.

"I was sh-shocked too...b-but we c-can rely on the source of the information,"I whispered,"I...I'm s-so sorry, Shinx...s-so sorry..."

"Shinx..."Shinx purred sadly.

I heard something stirring close by, and immediately jumped back into the sleeping bag. Shinx kept an eye out for what it was, and eventually sighed. The murmuring I could hear was just Ash talking about food in his sleep. I rolled my eyes and decided to get some sleep myself.

•••

I awoke to the smell of something delicious, although I wasn't hungry. My eyes were sore and red, my head pounded viciously. Shinx snuggled into me, and I hugged him, closing my eyes again.

"Hey Lyla, you waking up today or what?"Ash asked.

"Go 'way."I muttered.

"Are you okay?"Brock, who was sitting by the campfire, stirring the contents of his frying pan.

"Nope,"I grumbled,"You got magic food that cures headaches and sore eyes?"

"This might help..."Brock pointed to his pan,"it's soup."

I sat up and rubbed the side of my head, Shinx stirred beside me and let out a concerned purr. I stroked him, trying to open my eyes but they burnt. _Too much crying last night_, I thought. Brock handed me a bowl and a spoon, and I began to eat, bit by bit. I felt a little bit better but still couldn't see properly.

"What happened to your eyes?"Dawn asked, who had only just woken up herself.

"I dunno..."I said, avoiding eye contact with her.

"... Have you been crying?"She asked.

"N-no!"I cried, slurping up the last of the soup in my bowl.

Dawn gave me a suspicious look, and so did her Piplup, but didn't question further. Shinx snuggled into my side and growled quietly at Dawn, although he was still half asleep. I rubbed my eyes and stared hard at the patch of grass in front of me, my eyesight cleared.

"YEAH!"I squealed girlishly, making everyone around me jump.

"Lyla! I never knew you could squeal... and so high-pitched..."Ash said in mock shock.

"... Erm...sorry..."I blushed in embarrassment.

"Shinx."Shinx giggled, rubbing his ears to tease how high-pitched I was.

"Oi! Cheeky! You're meant to support me!"I laughed.

Shinx grinned and jumped onto me, knocking me over. I noticed Monferno in a tree playing with Pikachu, and smiled. _Pikachu is such a friendly little guy_, I thought. I tickled Shinx and he quickly surrendered, jumping onto the grass next to me and walking over to Brock, who gave him some pokémon food. Shinx liked Brock, I could tell. Maybe it was just because his pokémon food was better than the shop bought stuff, but he liked him. Shinx had warmed up to Dawn a little too. The only person he had no connection with whatsoever was Ash. I didn't blame him though, I left the blame with Team Rocket. _Team Rocket!_

"Oh, by the way guys, I think we should head east instead of west today."

Confused glances greeted me, but no one disagreed. _Thank Mew_. I got a brush out my bag and set to work on my frizzy bush. It took half an hour to tame, and then I set about getting everything else ready. We were all set to go off to the east, I was sure I'd saw a sign post for a pokémon centre anyway. We left our little camp-site for good. I decided to let Monferno stay out of her pokéball for the time being. She and Pikachu had become great friends, and they ran around chasing each other most of the way to the pokémon centre.

The centre came into view and we walked inside, healing our pokémon and I decided to return Monferno and let Pidgeot out for some fresh air. I enjoyed this brief moment in peace, because what happened next wasn't all too great.

"I see you finally made it here, Ash."An emotionless voice said, making me jump.

"P-Paul!"Ash yelped,"It's...good to see you?"

"Opposite, I suppose you'll be wanting me to beat you again?"Paul said, a smirk on his face.

"N...not really Paul..."Ash muttered, but brightened up again,"I suppose that you want me to beat you!"

"Who's your new friend? Not another pathetic loser, I hope."Paul growled.

"Pathetic...loser..."I repeated, anger boiling inside of me.

"Geot!"Pidgeot screeched in outrage.

I'd just met Paul, and I knew that Ash wouldn't be battling with him today. _I am _so_ going to kick his butt!_ I thought. I snarled at Paul.

"Battle me."

"What?"Paul laughed, clearly amused by my anger.

"Battle me, leave Ash alone, I'll prove to you that I'm not a pathetic loser, and I'll prove it to you with Shinx."

"Shiiiinx!"Shinx growled, who was sat at my feet.

"Ha, that lame excuse for a pokémon is no match for Electrivire!"Paul laughed,"But if I really must battle you instead of Ash, then so be it."

Pidgeot took off and perched in a nearby tree, I think she wanted a good view of the battle. Ash, Pikachu, Dawn, Piplup, and Brock looked at me in utter shock, and I grimaced. They didn't know how powerful Shinx was, and I didn't know whether he'd be powerful enough. Electrivire is a fully evolved pokémon. Shinx hadn't evolved. That's what bothered me, the fact that I'd probably signed Shinx up for loss. Brock offered to referee the battle, I agreed, Paul said nothing. We decided to use the open space outside of the pokémon centre.

"Trainers will select one pokémon each. The battle is over when one trainers pokémon is unable to battle."

"Okay, go get 'em Shinx!"I commanded, and Shinx ran in front of me, growling.

"Go. Electrivire."Paul said in his flat voice, throwing a pokéball into the air.

The big yellow and black pokémon appeared in front of it's trainer, a grin on it's face.

"Vire, ire, ire!"It laughed at the sight of Shinx being its opponent.

"Shrrrrr."Shinx growled.

"And, begin!"Brock yelled.

"Electrivire, Thunder Punch."Paul told his pokémon.

Shinx burly managed to dodge the attack. For a big thing, Electrivire was wickedly fast. The big pokémon pounded the ground so hard that his fist got stuck. I saw my chance.

"Shinx, Iron Tail!"

"Yeah! Go Lyla!"Ash yelled.

I blushed slightly and watched as Shinx slammed his glowing tail into Electrivire's knee. _Knee?_ I thought. Shinx gave me his 'you'll see' look and jumped out of the way was the huge electric pokémon ripped its fist from the ground and stumbled on its injured knee. Shinx had managed to slow it!

"Trivire!"

"Electrivire. Thunder."Paul grumbled, not even checking on his pokémon.

"Okay, Shinx give it a Thunderbolt!"I yelled, and Shinx nodded.

The two electrical attacks hit each other with tremendous force. I let out a gasp. Paul just stood, his face blank. _Their electricity...is equally as powerful?!_ I thought in disbelief. Even I had underestimated Shinx's power. _Mew..._

"Woah..."Ash gasped in awe.

"Pika..."Pikachu shared his tone.

"Erm..."I didn't know what to ask of Shinx, who was still trying to over-power Electrivire.

"Stop the attack Electrivire."Paul said.

Shinx stopped attacking as well, growling at the big pokémon before him. Paul revealed Electrivire's pokéball. The yellow pokémon returned without question. My jaw dropped. Had he really just done that! Paul began to walk off, and Ash ran after him angrily.

"What the hell was that!?"He yelled.

"That, was a decision to go and find a worthy opponent."I heard Paul mutter.

"She's more worthy than anyone in this bloody region!"Ash screamed.

I blushed in embarrassment and for something else that I couldn't quite work out. Brock, Dawn and Piplup shot shocked glances at each other. Pikachu ran over to the bickering Ash and Paul and immediately took his master's side of the argument. Shinx was still stood in the same position, a shocked expression on his face. I bent down and picked him up, my cheeks still feeling warm and tinged pink. Shinx stared up at me, his amber eyes glazed with confusion.

"Ah...screw you!"Ash growled at Paul, who had began walking away again.

"Pika!"Pikachu fumed at the purple haired boy.

Ash walked over to me, a snarl on his face. Pikachu let a few angry sparks escape his cheeks, and looked up at me apologetically.

"I'm sorry about that jerk,"he looked over his shoulder at the boy walking away in the distance, and with all his might, shouted,"HE DOESN'T LIKE THE FACT YOU WERE GOING TO BEAT HIM!"

"Th-thanks..."I stammered.

"No problem, anything for one of my oldest friends."Ash said, winking.

Shinx spat in disgust, he was obviously understanding this situation more than me. Shinx looked up at me.

"Shi Shinx."He growled.

"W-what!? Be quiet! Of c-course not!"I blushed an even deeper red.

"Shinx..."Shinx rolled his eyes, pouting.

I hugged him tightly and stroked him behind the ears. He grinned at me, purring loudly. Ash smiled at Shinx, Shinx shot daggers back at him, maybe not as meaningful as they usually were. Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder and smiled at me.

"Come on guys, we gotta go if we want to make it to the next town by tomorrow!"Brock told us.

"Yep, I'm so excited about my contest!"Dawn squealed.

"O-okay..."I stuttered.

"Geot!"Pidgeot's sudden greeting startled me.

She gave me a knowing look, and I gave her a playful shove. She'd seen everything from her perch in the tree, mainly my reaction towards Ash. _I'll have a talk with her later_, I told myself. Shinx climbed onto my shoulder as we walked on through Sinnoh. _I can't believe this will only last a little while longer,_ I thought sadly. I looked at the people in front of me, and frowned. Team Rocket had been following Ash since he started his journey, Brock had told me. _Maybe, if I give myself up, they'll stop going after him,_ I thought. I grinned angrily, _Yeah, Team Rocket can have m-_

"Shinx?"Shinx stopped me in mid-thought.

_I'll have to put Shinx somewhere safe_, I thought, sadness taking over me. I hadn't left him anywhere for more than a few hours, because he didn't like not knowing whether I was safe.

"Yeah Shinx?"I asked.

_I know what you're thinking_, he said,_ I'm not leaving you, I'm with you until the end._

_I agree with Shinx, till the end,_ Pidgeot chirped

I lifted my hand and stroked Shinx, and smiled at Pidgeot. Shinx shared a nod with Pidgeot. I took in a deep breath. My pokémon didn't want to leave me, but I didn't want them to get hurt. _The end is coming, I just know it_, I thought miserably.

END OF CHAPTER TWELVE...

A/N I am really feeling upset now, my first Fanfiction is almost finished.

Lyla: But there's gonna be a sequel, right?!

I can't just leave you in the hands of Team Rocket! Of course there'll be a sequel!

Lyla: Good, and by the way, me and you need to have a little chat*frowns*

*blushes* Y-yeah? About what?

Lyla: *grabs my ear and drags me away* You'll see!

*grabs a tree*B-Bye guys!

*Is dragged away and yelled at*

~ashketchumfangurl, please R&R xxx


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen- The Adventure Ends**

_Four days later..._

_**(Somewhere in Sinnoh)(Team Rocket's HQ)**_

"But boss, I must ask, why do you want to capture her so badly?"The purple haired man asked.

"Because, you fool, she needs to be taught a lesson."The angry man replied.

"I don't entirely believe there is a reason for this..."The purple haired man grumbled.

"For one, she stole one of our most valuable pokémon, well, most valuable non legendary, and for two, she escaped. No one escapes Team Rocket, not while I'm here."

"But she di-"

"Shut up, and prepare to move out with everyone else."

"...Yes sir."

_Meanwhile..._

It was getting late. The campfire flickered a bright orange. My friends slept around me. My pokémon were all in the pc, all safe. Except one. Shinx wouldn't allow me to place him into storage, he wouldn't allow me to face this on my own. James had informed me the night before. This was it. The night Team Rocket would capture me.

"We'll have to go soon."I told Shinx, who was sat beside me.

"Shinx..."Shinx growled.

He also didn't agree to me willingly giving myself to Team Rocket to save my friends from capture as well. _I should have just left this place while I had the chance_, I thought sadly, _I shouldn't have made friends._ Tears began to form in my eyes. What would Team Rocket do to me? Would they show any mercy? It grew later and I checked the time on my pokédex. I reached over to my bag and took out some chocolate._ Don't want to greet Team Rocket with an empty stomach._

"We gotta go Shinx,"I said between chomps,"I've left a note for the others."

"Shi..."Shinx sighed.

"Better one person gets caught than a whole group of people."I told him shakily.

Shinx didn't answer, and we began to walk into the forest. I came to the clearing James told me about, and sat hidden in the bushes. There was no sign of Team Rocket yet. The nervousness set in and I began to shake. _What will they do with me?_ I thought. Shinx curled up at my feet, his ears pricked, listening out for movement in the forest. It was approaching midnight, and still no sign of Team Rocket.

"Where are they?"I whispered.

"Shinx?"Shinx asked.

"Of course I'm not okay!"I hissed.

Shinx's ears suddenly pricked and he turned to the direction we had came from. I noticed his eyes flashing with annoyance. I heard the footsteps coming closer, and tensed.

"Lyla?! Lyla?! Where are you?!"I heard a voice yell.

"Pikachu pika!"

"Oh no, it's Ash!"My breath caught in my throat.

I had to get rid of Ash before Team Rocket showed up. Pikachu came running towards us and called for Ash. I cursed. _I'm gonna have to try and scare him off_, I thought miserably. Ash came running towards me, and I jumped up, standing tall. He looked at me, his face a picture of relief.

"I thought I'd lost you."He sighed, smiling.

"Go."I muttered.

"What?"He asked, looking bewildered.

"I said go, Ash."I raised my volume a notch.

Pikachu looked up at me, then looked to his master. The mouse was confused, drooping his ears. Ash didn't budge, his face becoming serious.

"No, I won't go, what's going on?"He asked.

"Something you won't understand Ash, please, turn around and go back to your friends."I mumbled.

"You're my friend too."He said.

_Why is he being so stubborn!? _I thought, my eyes beginning to water, _Can't he just accept that he isn't safe and has to get out of here?!_ I looked at the ground, avoiding Ash's concerned eyes. Shinx rubbed his cheek against my ankle, trying to make me feel a little less upset. I looked back at Ash again.

"Ash, please, get out of here!"I pleaded.

"No."Ash answered.

"You're making this more difficult than it should be!"I snapped.

"Good, I don't want you to go!"Ash snapped back.

"I have to Ash, I have to take care of something!"I yelled, starting to cry.

Ash remained silent for a little while, thinking of what to say. I wiped the tears from my eyes quickly, I didn't need big red eyes to face Team Rocket. Shinx growled at Ash warningly, but Ash didn't move.

"I don't know what to think about this, you just leaving in the middle of the night,"Ash muttered,"Leaving a note saying, 'Sorry.'"

"I...didn't know what else to do..."I sniffled.

"What's actually going on?"Ash asked.

"I can't tell you, just that you won't be safe if you stay here with me."I mumbled.

I turned away from him, looking out into the clearing. There was still no sign of Team Rocket. Some more tears poured out of my eyes and I began shivering. Ash was being too stubborn for his own good. He was beginning to get to me.

"Just go Ash, please!"I yelled.

"But Lyla..."

"Pika..."

I turned around, clenching my fists,"Get out of here!"

Shinx growled, his fur beginning to crackle with electricity. I gave him a shove with my foot, shaking my head. He looked disappointed, he'd always wanted to shock Ash. Tears wouldn't stop flooding from my eyes now, Ash still wouldn't leave. Instead, he came over to me and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Lyla, don't go..."He said gently.

I had had enough, I grabbed his collar and bought a fist up, ready to punch him. He squeezed his eyes shut and held up his hands. He looked so scared, so innocent, so...familiar.  
_  
Flashback..._

"Hey Ash?"

"Yep?"

I fiddled with my plait anxiously, setting the blue cat plush on the grass. Ash looked up at me with his big brown eyes to show he wanted to hear what I had to say.

"Have you ever wondered what would happen if I left?"I mumbled.

"Why you asking that?"He looked bewildered.

"I mean, do you think we'd still be friends? Would we ever meet again?"

"Of course!"Ash yelped,"I'd never ever forget you!"

I smiled sheepishly and we carried on battling with our plushes. We played for hours, I won a lot of our matches, and got rid off all the bad guys, with Ash's help, of course. I was about to go back into the big house when Ash called after me.  
_  
"Hey Lyla?"He asked._

"Yeah?"

"Please, promise you won't leave me?"He pleaded sadly.

"I promise."

End Flashback...

This would be the second time breaking that promise to Ash. I felt awful, and here I was threatening to punch him. Shinx spat slightly, his fur bristling. Pikachu looked on, wondering whether to jump to his master's defence. Ash's eyes were still closed tightly, his face fearful. Something in my brain went crazy. My heart pounded against my rib cage, my cheeks suddenly turning red. What's going on with me? I thought frantically.

_Lyla! _Shinx urged, _Don't do anything stupid!_

I closed my eyes for a few seconds, paying no attention to Shinx.

_Lyla, snap out of it!_ Shinx yelled, _What you're doing won't drive him away, it will make him stay!_

The fist I had held in the air, ready to punch Ash, fell down to my side. Shinx still yelled frantically at me, telling me to stop. _What am I doing?_ I asked myself. I heard some footsteps from far off, it was probably Team Rocket. Late, as usual. The more I looked at Ash's face, the more weird I felt inside. Shinx moved away from me, his face unreadable. I gripped Ash's collar tightly and pulled him closer. I didn't mean for it to happen. I didn't know why I did it. I didn't know how it would help.

"Pika!?"Pikachu squeaked, shocked.

"Shinx..."Shinx muttered.

I'd kissed him. Before he could react, and before I could understand, I pushed him to the ground. He looked up at me, dazed. I was dazed too, but I pointed to where the camp was.

"Run Ash, get out of here. It's been fun, and I promise I'll find you soon."I told him.

He didn't say a word, but nodded and began running towards camp. Pikachu gave me one last shocked glance, before running after him. Shinx looked up at me with sad eyes. My cheeks were burning and my heart pounded even more.

"I...I kissed him..."I whispered,"I...kissed him!"

"Shinx..."Shinx muttered.

The many footsteps got closer and closer. I wiped my eyes and exchanged a nod with Shinx. This was it. Team Rocket, here I come! I took a few steps out into the clearing, looking all around me. Nothing. Shinx circled around my feet, in a defensive position.

"Ah...I'm glad you could make it."Came an all too familiar voice.

"Giovanni."I muttered.

The evil man stepped out of the bushes, grinning. He snapped his fingers and a pair of hands fell on my shoulders. I didn't struggle, and gave Giovanni a courtse. Shinx growled.

"It's not good to see you, sir."I said with a grin.

More Rockets emerged from the trees. Jessie, James and Meowth were amongst them. James had a sad look on his face. I nodded to him, and he looked away. Giovanni walked closer to me, his steps, what's the word, cautious. He grinned.

"I really hope you enjoyed your brief period of freedom,"he laughed,"You won't see freedom again!"

He leant in further, his stupid grin starting to annoy me.

"You..."His voice turned angry,"You drove the boy and pikachu away..."

"Yep, easy!"I said confidently, although my heart was feeling otherwise.

Giovanni's anger was heating up to boiling point. I could tell, I almost burst out laughing. Shinx smirked. I was surprised no one had restrained him, considering he was more dangerous than me.

"At least we got you and your little pokémon,"Giovanni spat,"We haven't totally lost out."

"I'm pretty sure Shinx will be useless to you, he won't listen to you."I told him.

Shinx growled at Giovanni to show I was right. The man before me slapped me across the face, and Shinx gasped, jumping to my defence. Giovanni grinned evilly at him. My cheek burnt and my eyes watered.

"Oh...he'll do what he's told, if it's your only hope of being treated fairly."

"Shrrrr!"Shinx growled.

"Leave it Shinx."I whispered.

I took my opportunity for my revenge as Giovanni turned to give a speech to the Rockets. I kicked him in the butt, and he doubled over. I noticed James smirk, and I grinned at him. Shinx let out a cheer.

"Kn...Knock...her...out..."Giovanni wheezed.

"Sh-Shinx?!"Shinx stammered.

A white cloth fell over my mouth, and the world around me began to fade. The grunt holding me let go, and I sank to the ground. I could feel Shinx nudging me, but I couldn't respond. The world went black, not before I saw yellow sparks flying towards the whole of Team Rocket...

The girl and her pokémon were carried away by the Rocket grunts. The boy and Pikachu ran back to the clearing a hour later, but nothing was to be found. The girl was gone, and the future looked bleak for her. Giovanni had captured her and would make sure she'd never escape again. Her pokémon is being forced to work, assuming she is safe...but...that isn't true.

END OF CHAPTER THIRTEEN...

A/N Hey guys, this is the end of my first ever fanfiction, and I'm excited about writing the sequel. I'm spicing things up a bit and making the next instalment in Shinx's POV. Because personally, I think that it would get boring just reading about Lyla sitting in some prison cell for what, ten and above chapters. That, and Shinx is awesome.

Lyla: Hey! I'm not boring!

I didn't say you were boring, Lyla.

Lyla: You lieeee

Anyway, thanks for reading this, and I'll try and get straight to work on the next one. And maybe throw in some random one-shots and stuff.

~ashketchumfangurl xxx


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